Photo: Richard N Horne · CC BY 4.0Benson’s library lends 7.4 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Benson Public Library serves Benson’s 5,536 residents. Last year it lent 41K print books and media and logged 31K visits.
What stands out about Benson’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Benson’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Benson is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #4 of 68 in Arizona. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; Benson’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 →
54 community nonprofits are registered in Benson
10.0 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 (15 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.
13.7%
13.7% of Benson’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.0% in the typical Arizona 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 Benson’s residents live; 2022.
Books and media off the shelf
41K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 32K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.3 time last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Benson Public Library serves 5,536 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 21 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
44 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 Benson last year.
Find it
Benson Public Library, 300 S Huachuca St., Benson.
Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Benson? 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 $2.45 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Benson cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $270K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $662K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $270K 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 4,052 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
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 Benson
Does Benson have a public library?
Yes. Benson Public Library, 300 S Huachuca St., serves Benson’s 5,536 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 37 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Benson Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Benson’s library?
It logged 5.5 visits and lent 7.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Benson’s civic life grade?
A+ Benson is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on civic life, #4 of 68 in Arizona. 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 Benson.
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.