Photo: Andrea_44 from Leamington, Ontario , Canada · CC BY 2.0Harrow Library is Essex’s public library
Essex County Library serves 192,970 people, more than Essex alone, so its figures cover the wider area. In 2024 it lent 2.6 items for every person it serves. Ontario counts visits over one typical week and multiplies by 52, so the yearly figure is an estimate.
BCivic life#51 of 866 in OntarioEssex’s civic life grade, input by input
Essex gets a B for civic life, #51 of 866 towns graded in Ontario. A civic life grade needs two of its three inputs, and Essex has charities and volunteering, though not library visits.
Informal groups and mutual aid go uncounted.
Sources: provincial statistics, the CRA, Statistics Canada.
Essex mailing addresses hold 57 registered charities
That is 2.4 per 1,000 residents, against 1.4 in the typical Ontario town and 1.4 across Canada. Charities are placed by mailing address, which flatters service towns whose post office serves a region and undercounts suburbs and rural municipalities.
32.1%
In 2023, 32.1% of people in Ontario volunteered formally: one estimate for the whole province, likely between 31.0% and 33.2%, in a range of 25.2% to 40.3% across the ten provinces.
Statistics Canada, table 45-10-0039.
A typical week brings about 8,543 visits
Everything counted at Essex County Library in 2024: visits, loans and cards.
Essex’s public library
Nearest first, measured in a straight line from the centre of Essex.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Library locations. The locations come from OpenStreetMap and from Statistics Canada’s cultural facilities list of 2020, public libraries only.
Questions about the library and civic life in Essex
Does Essex have a public library?
Yes: Harrow Library.
How busy is Essex County Library?
Over 2024: 496,200 items out on loan, 444,236 visits through the door.
Library statistics: Ontario Public Library Statistics, 2024. Library locations: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Statistics Canada, Open Database of Cultural and Art Facilities (2020). Charities: Canada Revenue Agency, List of charities (2024), charitable organizations only.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).