Hartford’s library runs 8.4 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library serves Hartford’s 6,680 residents. Last year it lent 19K books, movies and e-books and logged 8,246 visits.
The short version on Hartford’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on seven. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library offered 56 programs last year, 8.4 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
86% of the 56 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 5 were for children. 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 Hartford’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Hartford is ahead of 5% of U.S. towns, #139 of 156 in Alabama. Hartford is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Hartford’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library spends $21 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($42K–$70K) 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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in Hartford
2.2 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 (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.3%
4.3% of Hartford’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 4.8% in the typical Alabama 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 Hartford’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library serves 6,680 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
19K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 21K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.8 time last year, on average.
2,366 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
56 programs a year
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 Hartford last year.
Find it
Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library, 101 East Fulton Street, Hartford.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Hartford? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.08 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hartford cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $137K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $286K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $137K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 1,396 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Hartford
Does Hartford have a public library?
Yes. Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library, 101 East Fulton Street, serves Hartford’s 6,680 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Hartford - Mcgregor-Mckinney Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Hartford’s library?
It logged 1.2 visits and lent 2.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Hartford’s civic life grade?
D Hartford is ahead of 5% of U.S. towns on civic life, #139 of 156 in Alabama. 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 Hartford.
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.