Public library systems in Pennsylvania
The 435 profiled public library systems in Pennsylvania served 12.6 million residents in FY 2024 and logged 2.14 visits and 3.54 physical checkouts per resident, which ranks 40th and 35th among the 50 states and DC. Operating spending came to $34.06 per resident (42nd nationally). Local government supplied 63% of operating revenue, against 85% for all profiled systems nationwide, and the state government 17%.
The largest system is Free Library of Philadelphia, serving 1,603,797 residents; 16 systems serve 100,000 or more. At the end of the year, 51% of the state's profiled systems charged no overdue fines on print items. The most common legal form is the nonprofit association library (372 systems).
Visits per resident, system by system
Each dot is one Pennsylvania system, grouped by the size of the population it serves; darker dots have their own profile page. The gold tick marks the national median for that size class.
The 20 largest systems
| System | City | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Library of Philadelphia | Philadelphia | 1,603,797 | 1.02 | 1.24 | $73.89 |
| Bucks County Free Library | Doylestown | 507,641 | 1.83 | 3.09 | $18.64 |
| Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | 392,273 | 4.29 | 6.23 | $106.74 |
| Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library | Norristown | 336,716 | 0.24 | 1.58 | $16.62 |
| York County Library System, Pennsylvania | York | 282,763 | 1.14 | 2.26 | $24.53 |
| Dauphin County Library System | Harrisburg | 252,153 | 2.09 | 3.26 | $30.23 |
| Erie County Public Library | Erie | 237,610 | 1.83 | 4.15 | $32.24 |
| Lancaster Public Library | Lancaster | 214,988 | 1.10 | 1.86 | $10.93 |
| Upper Darby Township & Sellers Memorial Free Public Library | Upper Darby | 183,227 | 0.80 | 0.76 | $24.17 |
| Allentown Public Library | Allentown | 139,466 | 1.16 | 1.16 | $21.44 |
| Franklin County Library System-Admin Unit | Chambersburg | 135,038 | 1.37 | 1.87 | $24.25 |
| Reading Public Library | Reading | 130,706 | 1.32 | 1.24 | $39.94 |
| Osterhout Free Library | Wilkes-Barre | 120,502 | 0.60 | 0.84 | $21.32 |
| Bethlehem Area Public Library | Bethlehem | 118,264 | 1.50 | 2.84 | $25.67 |
| Chester County Library | Exton | 111,774 | 3.75 | 10.38 | $77.68 |
| Adams County Library System | Gettysburg | 103,852 | 1.89 | 3.13 | $25.95 |
| Scranton Public Library | Scranton | 96,329 | 1.91 | 2.53 | $48.53 |
| Cambria County Library System-Admin Unit | Johnstown | 95,861 | 0.99 | 1.12 | $17.68 |
| Schlow Centre Region Library | State College | 94,625 | 2.29 | 5.72 | $33.58 |
| Northland Public Library Authority | Pittsburgh | 90,007 | 2.58 | 11.41 | $33.10 |
Highest rates among systems serving 5,000 or more
Of the state's profiled systems, 340 serve at least 5,000 residents.
Visits per resident
- New Cumberland Public Library · 16.46
- Sewickley Public Library · 12.53
- Easttown Library · 12.08
- Swarthmore Public Library · 10.85
- Andrew Carnegie Free Library · 9.13
Checkouts per resident
- Sewickley Public Library · 22.10
- New Cumberland Public Library · 21.40
- Easttown Library · 18.45
- Strasburg-Heisler Library · 18.27
- Mt. Lebanon Public Library · 17.50
Spending per resident
- Easttown Library · $119.05
- Lower Merion Library System · $108.14
- Sewickley Public Library · $107.60
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh · $106.74
- Lansdowne Public Library · $82.59
Revenue mix
Combined operating revenue of $456 million across the 435 systems that reported every revenue source.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other