Fort Washington’s library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7 for libraries its size
Upper Dublin Public Library serves 26,665 people in and around Fort Washington. Last year it lent 419K books, movies and e-books and logged 169K visits.
What Fort Washington’s library is like
Fort Washington uses its library more than almost any town its size
Upper Dublin Public Library logs 6.3 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 13 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 94% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 63% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Upper Dublin Public Library ran 1,157 programs last year, about 22 a week. That’s 43 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 29,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Upper Dublin Public Library serves more than Fort Washington
The library’s service area covers 26,665 people in and around Fort Washington, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
59% of the 1,157 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 407 were for children. 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 Fort Washington’s civic life grade
Fort Washington isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
About 8 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Upper Dublin Public Library serves 26,665 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 128 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
419K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 125K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.7 times last year, on average.
76,314 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Upper Dublin Public Library, 520 Virginia Dr., Fort Washington.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Fort Washington? 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 $3.39 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fort Washington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $6.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.8M 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 17,180 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Fort Washington ranks 2nd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield Township | Free Library of Springfield Township | 16.6 | 62 | B+ |
| Fort Washington | Upper Dublin Public Library fine-free | 15.7 | 63 | — graded as part of its town |
| Upper Dublin Township | Upper Dublin Public Library fine-free | 15.7 | 63 | A− |
| Whitemarsh Township | William Jeanes Memorial Library fine-free | 11.4 | 50 | B+ |
| Ambler | Ambler Branch Library fine-free | — | 54 | B− |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Fort Washington
Does Fort Washington have a public library?
Yes. Upper Dublin Public Library, 520 Virginia Dr., serves 26,665 people in and around Fort Washington (the survey’s count) and is open about 63 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Upper Dublin Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Fort Washington’s library?
It logged 6.3 visits and lent 15.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Fort Washington’s civic life grade?
Fort Washington isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Fort Washington.
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.