Old Capitol · Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Iowa City’s library logs 6 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries its size
Iowa City Public Library serves Iowa City’s 89,912 residents. Last year it lent 864K print books and media and logged 543K visits.
The short version on Iowa City’s library
Iowa City uses its library more than almost any town its size
Iowa City Public Library logs 6 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, and lends 9.6 print items per resident against a typical 3.7. On both counts it beats 89% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Top 10% in Iowa State for kids’ borrowing
Iowa City ranks #4 of 50 Iowa State towns with a library of their own for children’s items borrowed per child. How it compares ↓
The shelves work hard
Each of the 200,000 items on the shelves went out about 4.3 times last year, on average. What people borrow ↓
Open about 65 hours a week
Iowa City Public Library is open about 65 hours a week, averaged over the year. Every hour the doors are open, about 201 items go out. The building ↓
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 Iowa City’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Iowa City is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #61 of 138 in Iowa State. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Iowa City’s count of community nonprofits 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 →
266 community nonprofits are registered in Iowa City
3.5 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 (56 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 14 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
10.7%
10.7% of Iowa City’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.6% in the typical Iowa State 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 Iowa City’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 201 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Iowa City Public Library serves 89,912 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Books and media off the shelf
864K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 200K books and other items on the shelves went out about 4.3 times last year, on average.
About 16 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 Iowa City last year.
Find it
Iowa City Public Library, 123 S Linn St., Iowa City.
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 $1.89 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Iowa City cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $7.2M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $14M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $7.2M 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 41,171 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City | Iowa City Public Library fine-free | 9.6 | 65 | A− |
| Coralville | Coralville Public Library fine-free | 8.7 | 54 | 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.
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 Iowa City
Does Iowa City have a public library?
Yes. Iowa City Public Library, 123 S Linn St., serves Iowa City’s 89,912 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 65 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Iowa City Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Iowa City’s library?
It logged 6.0 visits and lent 9.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Iowa City’s civic life grade?
A− Iowa City is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on civic life, #61 of 138 in Iowa State. 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 Iowa City.
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.