Photo: Hrystiv · Public domainWoodburn’s library lends 8.3 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Woodburn Public Library serves Woodburn’s 28,483 residents. Last year it lent 237K print books and media and logged 70K visits.
Woodburn’s library, in brief
The shelves work hard
Each of the 56,000 items on the shelves went out about 4.2 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
Most programs are for young children
68% of the 253 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.3 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
What’s behind Woodburn’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Woodburn is ahead of 8% of U.S. towns, #103 of 106 in Oregon. All three inputs sit below most U.S. towns; library visits come closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($51K–$84K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
52 community nonprofits are registered in Woodburn
1.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (29 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
3.7%
3.7% of Woodburn’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.9% in the typical Oregon town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Woodburn’s residents live; 2022.
Books and media off the shelf
237K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 56K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.2 times last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Woodburn Public Library serves 28,483 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
A year at Woodburn Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Woodburn last year.
Find it
Woodburn Public Library, 280 Garfield St., Woodburn.
No late fees. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Woodburn? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $4.01 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Woodburn cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $975K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.9M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $975K budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 8,733 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Woodburn
Does Woodburn have a public library?
Yes. Woodburn Public Library, 280 Garfield St., serves Woodburn’s 28,483 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 41 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Woodburn Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Woodburn’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 8.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Woodburn’s civic life grade?
D Woodburn is ahead of 8% of U.S. towns on civic life, #103 of 106 in Oregon. The grade combines library visits per resident, community nonprofits per 1,000 residents and the share of adults 25–44 in volunteering groups. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Woodburn.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.