Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Buffalo’s library is a branch of Scott County Library System, which lends less per resident than 53% of systems its size
Buffalo’s library is the Buffalo Branch, a branch of Scott County Library System, which serves 32,747 people and lent 113K items last year.
Buffalo’s library, in brief
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Scott County Library System ran 1,126 programs last year, about 22 a week. That’s 34 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 23,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 1,126 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 7.4 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Buffalo’s library is a branch of Scott County Library System, so they cover the whole system (32,747 people), not just the Buffalo branch.
What’s behind Buffalo’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Buffalo is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. Buffalo is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in Buffalo
5.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
12.6%
12.6% of Buffalo’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.6% in the typical Iowa 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 Buffalo’s residents live; 2022.
About 14 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Scott County Library System serves 32,747 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Scott County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
113K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Find it
Buffalo Branch, 329 Dodge St., Buffalo.
No late fees. Good at every Scott County Library System branch.
New in Buffalo? 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 $1.52 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Buffalo cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
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 15,294 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | Davenport Public Library fine-free | 2.9 | 54 | B |
| Buffalo | Buffalo Branch fine-free | — | 23 | A |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
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.
- System-wide. Buffalo Branch is one branch of Scott County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 32,747 people it serves.
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 Buffalo
Does Buffalo have a public library?
Yes: Buffalo Branch, 329 Dodge St., is a branch of Scott County Library System, which serves 32,747 people. The branch is open about 23 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Scott County Library System fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Buffalo’s library?
It logged 2.5 visits and lent 3.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Buffalo’s civic life grade?
A Buffalo is ahead of 91% 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 Buffalo.
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.