Photo: Scott Harris · CC BY-SA 4.0Purcellville’s library is a branch of Loudoun County Public Library, which lends more per resident than 91% of systems its size
Purcellville’s library is the Purcellville Library, a branch of Loudoun County Public Library, which serves 425,204 people and lent 5.4M items last year.
Purcellville’s library, in brief
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 72% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
One of the busiest library systems its size
The Loudoun County Public Library system logs 4 visits per resident, against a typical 2.1 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, and lends 8.7 print items per resident against a typical 3.2. On both counts it beats 91% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Loudoun County Public Library system ran 9,989 programs last year, about 192 a week. That’s 23 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 351,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 41% for its size. How it compares ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 4.1 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.4, higher than at 90% of similar-size libraries. It’s 32% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
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; Purcellville’s library is a branch of Loudoun County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (425,204 people), not just the Purcellville branch.
What’s behind Purcellville’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Purcellville is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #2 of 88 in Virginia. Purcellville is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Purcellville’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 →
82 community nonprofits are registered in Purcellville
9.1 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (9 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 5 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
10.2%
10.2% of Purcellville’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.9% in the typical Virginia 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 Purcellville’s residents live; 2022.
About 86 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, 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 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Loudoun County Public Library serves 425,204 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 155 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Loudoun County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
5.4M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
1,729,054 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Purcellville Library, 220 East Main Street, Purcellville.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Loudoun County Public Library branch.
New in Purcellville? 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 $3.29 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Purcellville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $24M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $24M 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 66,431 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Purcellville Library is one branch of Loudoun County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 425,204 people it serves.
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 Purcellville
Does Purcellville have a public library?
Yes: Purcellville Library, 220 East Main Street, is a branch of Loudoun County Public Library, which serves 425,204 people. The branch is open about 66 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Loudoun County 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 Purcellville’s library?
It logged 4.0 visits and lent 12.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Purcellville’s civic life grade?
A+ Purcellville is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on civic life, #2 of 88 in Virginia. 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 Purcellville.
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.