Florence Ferguson House · Photo: Marradez · CC BY-SA 3.0Colfax’s library is a branch of Whitman County Library, which lends less per resident than 54% of systems its size
Colfax’s library is the Colfax Library, a branch of Whitman County Library, which serves 15,070 people and lent 96K items last year.
The short version on Colfax’s library
Eight times the programs of a typical library its size
The Whitman County Library system ran 2,958 programs last year, about 57 a week. That’s 196 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. People show up: 27,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
43% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 43% of loans, more per resident than at 85% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 57%. What people borrow ↓
The branch is a National Register landmark
Whitman County Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2021. Today’s library there has 12,000 square feet. The building ↓
A well-funded system
The Whitman County Library system spends $88 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (94%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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; Colfax’s library is a branch of Whitman County Library, so they cover the whole system (15,070 people), not just the Colfax branch.
What’s behind Colfax’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Colfax is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #17 of 152 in Washington. Colfax is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Colfax’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 →
23 community nonprofits are registered in Colfax
8.5 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 (7 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
8.3%
8.3% of Colfax’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 Colfax’s residents live; 2022.
About 30 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 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Whitman County Library serves 15,070 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
A year at Whitman County Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Whitman County Library system. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
43% of borrowing is digital
96K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
41,196 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
A National Register landmark since 2021
Colfax Library, 102 S. Main, Colfax.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Whitman County Library branch.
New in Colfax? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Whitman County Library
Whitman County Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Aug 4, 2021. It is significant for its architecture and education at the local level.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.33 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Colfax cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.3M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.3M 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 10,250 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- System-wide. Colfax Library is one branch of Whitman County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 15,070 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 Colfax
Does Colfax have a public library?
Yes: Colfax Library, 102 S. Main, is a branch of Whitman County Library, which serves 15,070 people. The branch is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Whitman County 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 Colfax’s library?
It logged 2.8 visits and lent 6.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Colfax’s civic life grade?
A Colfax is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on civic life, #17 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 Colfax.
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. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.