Photo: DwayneP · CC BY-SA 3.0York’s library logs 0.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
York - Hightower Memorial Library serves York’s 5,491 residents. Last year it logged 3,501 visits.
York’s library, in brief
Open only about 16 hours a week
York - Hightower Memorial Library keeps short hours: about 16 a week, averaged over the year, so check its schedule before you go. The building ↓
Few programs for a library this size
York - Hightower Memorial Library offered 32 programs last year, 5.8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Runs on less money than most
York - Hightower Memorial Library spends $9 per resident, less than 96% of similar-size libraries (typical: $43). 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.
What’s behind York’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, York is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. York is graded on two of the three inputs. York’s count of community nonprofits holds 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 →
18 community nonprofits are registered in York
8.8 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 (5 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.
3.0%
3.0% of York’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 York’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 5 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
York - Hightower Memorial Library serves 5,491 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
A year at York - Hightower Memorial Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Loans aren’t shown: this year’s report counted only 829 items borrowed against 3,501 visits, so we leave the count out.
32 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.
Find it
York - Hightower Memorial Library, 630 Avenue A, York.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in York? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average York cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $49K.
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 375 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Loans left out. This year’s loan count is far below the library’s visits and shelves, so we leave it out.
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 York
Does York have a public library?
Yes. York - Hightower Memorial Library, 630 Avenue A, serves York’s 5,491 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 16 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is York - Hightower Memorial 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 York’s library?
It logged 0.6 visits per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is York’s civic life grade?
B− York is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 York.
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.