Des Moines’ library is a branch of King County Library System, which lends more per resident than 85% of systems its size
Des Moines’s library is the Woodmont Library, a branch of King County Library System, which serves 1,607,650 people and lent 22M items last year.
Des Moines’s library, in brief
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 70% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
49% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 49% of loans, more per resident than at 98% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 51%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
A well-funded system
The King County Library System spends $90 per resident a year, about twice the typical $36 for a library its size. Almost all of it (92%) 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; Des Moines’s library is a branch of King County Library System, so they cover the whole system (1,607,650 people), not just the Des Moines branch.
What’s behind Des Moines’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Des Moines is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns, #119 of 152 in Washington. Des Moines is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Des Moines’ count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($69K–$116K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
100 community nonprofits are registered in Des Moines
3.1 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 (46 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 9 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.1%
6.1% of Des Moines’ 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 Des Moines’ residents live; 2022.
49% of borrowing is digital
22M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
10,919,747 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
King County Library System serves 1,607,650 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
A year at King County Library System
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole King County Library System 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.
About 178 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.
2 places to borrow in Des Moines
Woodmont Library, 26809 Pacific Hwy S, Des Moines.
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 King County Library System branch.
New in Des Moines? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other King County Library System branches in Des Moines
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.23 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Des Moines cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $145M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $323M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $145M 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 676,531 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | Woodmont Library fine-free | — | 52 | C− |
| Federal Way | Federal Way Library fine-free | — | 52 | D |
| Kent | Kent Library fine-free | — | 52 | D |
| SeaTac | Valley View Library fine-free | — | 45 | C− |
| Burien | Burien Library fine-free | — | 52 | B− |
| Normandy Park | None of its own | — | — | 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.
- Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- System-wide. Woodmont Library is one branch of King County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 1,607,650 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 Des Moines
Does Des Moines have a public library?
Yes: Woodmont Library, 26809 Pacific Hwy S, is a branch of King County Library System, which serves 1,607,650 people. The branch is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is King County Library System 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 Des Moines’ library?
It logged 3.4 visits and lent 14.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Des Moines’ civic life grade?
C− Des Moines is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns on civic life, #119 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 Des Moines.
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.