Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainBurlington’s library runs 23 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
Fletcher Free Library serves Burlington’s 44,649 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 233K print books and media and logged 169K visits.
The short version on Burlington’s library
The library is a National Register landmark
Carnegie Building of the Fletcher Free Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. Today’s library there has 48,348 square feet. The buildings ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 1,005 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 13 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 Burlington’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Burlington is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #25 of 71 in Vermont. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; Burlington’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 →
344 community nonprofits are registered in Burlington
7.7 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 (32 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 8 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
11.2%
11.2% of Burlington’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.5% in the typical Vermont 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 Burlington’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 1976
Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Burlington? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Carnegie Building of the Fletcher Free Library
Carnegie Building of the Fletcher Free Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Aug 18, 1976. It is significant for its architecture at the state level. Its architecture is described as Beaux Arts.
The Fletcher Free Library is the public library serving Burlington, Vermont. It is located at 235 College Street, in an architecturally distinguished Beaux-Arts building, constructed in 1902 with funding support from Andrew Carnegie. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
More about the building →Other libraries in Burlington
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Fletcher Free Library serves 44,649 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 57 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
233K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 129K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.8 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 13 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 Burlington last year.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.35 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Burlington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $2.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $2.7M 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 13,329 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Burlington ranks 3rd of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Burlington | South Burlington fine-free | 9.1 | 53 | A− |
| Colchester | Burnham Memorial fine-free | 5.3 | 47 | B− |
| Burlington | Fletcher Free Library fine-free | 5.2 | 58 | A |
| Winooski | Winooski Memorial fine-free | 2.3 | 36 | C+ |
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.
- Digital loans not reported. Vermont libraries often don’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 Burlington
Does Burlington have a public library?
Yes. Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St., serves Burlington’s 44,649 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 58 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Fletcher Free 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 Burlington’s library?
It logged 3.8 visits and lent 5.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Burlington’s civic life grade?
A Burlington is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on civic life, #25 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Burlington.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.