Idlewild · Photo: Smallbones · CC0Upper Providence Township has no public library of its own; the nearest is Media Upper Providence Free Library in Media, 1.3 miles away
Upper Providence Township doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Media Upper Providence Free Library in Media, 1.3 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
A−Civic lifeAhead of 81% of U.S. towns · #67 of 1,029 in Pennsylvania. Nonprofits and volunteering.What’s behind Upper Providence Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Upper Providence Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #67 of 1,029 in Pennsylvania. Upper Providence Township is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Upper Providence Township’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
68 community nonprofits are registered in Upper Providence Township
6.3 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 (7 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 2 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.2%
8.2% of Upper Providence Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.0% in the typical Pennsylvania 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 Upper Providence Township’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 1.3 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Upper Providence Township. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marple Township | Marple Public Library | 11.8 | 59 | C+ |
| Newtown Township | Newtown Public Library fine-free | 11.6 | 50 | B |
| Nether Providence Township | Helen Kate Furness Free Library | 8.0 | 48 | B |
| Springfield Township | Springfield Township Library fine-free | 7.1 | 56 | B |
| Middletown Township | Middletown Free Library | 6.1 | 53 | B+ |
| Media | Media Upper Providence Free Library fine-free | — | 52 | A− |
| Edgmont Township | None of its own | — | — | 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 Upper Providence Township
Does Upper Providence Township have a public library?
No. The closest is Media Upper Providence Free Library in Media, 1.3 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Upper Providence Township’s civic life grade?
A− Upper Providence Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on civic life, #67 of 1,029 in Pennsylvania. 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 Upper Providence Township.
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.