Photo: CTJF83Talk · Public domainClinton’s library logs 1.5 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries its size
Clinton Public Library serves Clinton’s 27,311 residents from 2 locations. Last year it lent 44K print books and media and logged 41K visits.
Clinton’s library, in brief
Every town next door borrows more
Clinton’s library lends 1.6 items per resident. Each of the three neighboring towns with a library of its own lends more, led by Fulton Township at 6.9. Libraries next door ↓
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, Clinton Public Library sits below the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on four. How it compares ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Clinton Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. Today’s library there has 19,600 square feet. The buildings ↓
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 Clinton’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Clinton is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #126 of 138 in Iowa. Clinton’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; library visits pull it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($45K–$75K) 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 →
119 community nonprofits are registered in Clinton
4.9 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 (29 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
6.6%
6.6% of Clinton’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 Clinton’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 1983
Clinton Public Library, 306 8th Ave S, Clinton.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Clinton Public Library
Clinton Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 23, 1983. It is significant for its architecture and social history at the state level. Its architecture is described as Beaux Arts. It was listed as part of Public Library Buildings in Iowa TR.
Clinton Public Library is located in Clinton, Iowa, United States. The main library is located downtown and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lyons Branch is located on the north side of the city.
More about the building →Other libraries in Clinton
Below most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Clinton Public Library serves 27,311 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 13 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
44K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 58K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.8 time last year, on average.
About 4 kids’ programs a week
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 Clinton last year.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Clinton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $755K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1M 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 5,545 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Clinton ranks 4th of 4 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton Township | Schmaling Memorial Public Library District | 6.9 | 37 | B− |
| Fulton | Schmaling Memorial Public Library District | 6.9 | 37 | B− |
| Camanche | Camanche Public Library fine-free | 3.6 | 47 | C+ |
| Clinton | Clinton Public Library fine-free | 1.6 | 50 | C |
| Garden Plain Township | None of its own | — | — | — graded with its twin city |
| Low Moor | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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.
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 Clinton
Does Clinton have a public library?
Yes. Clinton Public Library, 306 8th Ave S, serves Clinton’s 27,311 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 50 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Clinton Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Clinton’s library?
It logged 1.5 visits and lent 1.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Clinton’s civic life grade?
C Clinton is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on civic life, #126 of 138 in Iowa. 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 Clinton.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.