Photo: Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Humboldt’s library lends 5.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Humboldt Public Library serves Humboldt’s 7,661 residents. Last year it lent 44K print books and media and logged 35K visits.
Humboldt’s library, in brief
Programs are almost all for children
91% of the 424 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.9 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Above typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Humboldt Public Library is above the middle on all six per-resident measures we compare, with five in the top 30%. No single number stands out, and none lags far behind. How it compares ↓
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 60% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is higher than at 82% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
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 Humboldt’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Humboldt is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #90 of 138 in Iowa. Humboldt is graded on two of the three inputs. Humboldt’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 →
42 community nonprofits are registered in Humboldt
8.8 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
6.0%
6.0% of Humboldt’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 Humboldt’s residents live; 2022.
About 7 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 Humboldt last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Humboldt Public Library serves 7,661 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 19 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
44K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 27K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.6 times last year, on average.
Find it
Humboldt Public Library, 30 N 6th St., Humboldt.
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 $2.02 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Humboldt cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $361K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $729K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $361K 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 3,265 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humboldt | Humboldt Public Library | 5.7 | 44 | B+ |
| Dakota City | 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 Humboldt
Does Humboldt have a public library?
Yes. Humboldt Public Library, 30 N 6th St., serves Humboldt’s 7,661 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Humboldt Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Humboldt’s library?
It logged 4.5 visits and lent 5.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Humboldt’s civic life grade?
B+ Humboldt is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on civic life, #90 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 Humboldt.
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.