Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0Burlington’s library logs 10 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
Burlington Public Library serves Burlington’s 10,410 residents. Last year it lent 110K print books and media and logged 107K visits.
The short version on Burlington’s library
Burlington ranks 2nd in Washington for library use
Out of 20 Washington towns with a library of their own, Burlington comes 2nd for visits per resident. How it compares ↓
Burlington uses its library more than almost any town its size
Burlington Public Library logs 10 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 11 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 92% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
More library cards than residents
10,674 cards for 10,410 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, it’s 40%. How it compares ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Burlington Carnegie Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. Today’s library there has 22,000 square feet. The building ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 43% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 87% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 21 items per child in Burlington last year. 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 80% of U.S. towns, #30 of 152 in Washington. Library visits hold the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
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 Burlington
8.2 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (22 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
5.8%
5.8% of Burlington’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.7% in the typical Washington 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.
Every hour the doors are open, about 41 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Burlington Public Library serves 10,410 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Books and media off the shelf
110K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 52K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.1 times last year, on average.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 4 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.
A National Register landmark since 1982
Burlington Public Library, 820 East Washington Avenue, Burlington.
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 Burlington? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Burlington Carnegie Library
Burlington Carnegie Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Aug 3, 1982. It is significant for its education, architecture and social history at the local level. It was listed as part of Carnegie Libraries of Washington TR.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.39 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Burlington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.2M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.2M 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 10,674 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | Burlington Public Library fine-free | 10.6 | 51 | A− |
| Mount Vernon | Mount Vernon City Library fine-free | 4.5 | 43 | 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. 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 Burlington
Does Burlington have a public library?
Yes. Burlington Public Library, 820 East Washington Avenue, serves Burlington’s 10,410 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 51 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Burlington 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 Burlington’s library?
It logged 10.2 visits and lent 10.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Burlington’s civic life grade?
A− Burlington is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on civic life, #30 of 152 in Washington. 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.