Photo: SkylerSailer · CC BY-SA 4.0Le Mars’ library logs 8.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
Le Mars Public Library serves Le Mars’s 13,378 residents. Last year it lent 72K print books and media and logged 109K visits.
Le Mars’s library, in brief
The library is a National Register landmark
Le Mars Public Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. Today’s library there has 7,839 square feet. The building ↓
People come to Le Mars Public Library a lot
Le Mars Public Library logs 8.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, more than 93% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 5.4 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
78% of the 563 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 6.6 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.
What’s behind Le Mars’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Le Mars is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns, #127 of 138 in Iowa. Le Mars is graded on two of the three inputs. Le Mars’ count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($56K–$93K) 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 →
52 community nonprofits are registered in Le Mars
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 (12 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.4%
4.4% of Le Mars’ 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 Le Mars’ residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 22 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 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Le Mars Public Library serves 13,378 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
72K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 37K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2 times last year, on average.
About 8 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 Le Mars last year.
A National Register landmark since 1979
Le Mars Public Library, 46 1st St. SW, Le Mars.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Le Mars Public Library
Le Mars Public Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Mar 26, 1979. It is significant for its architecture at the local level. Its architecture is described as Renaissance Revival.
Le Mars Public Library is located in Le Mars, Iowa. It is the largest library in Plymouth County and has been in operation since 1876.
More about the building →For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.85 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Le Mars cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $616K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $616K 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 7,265 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 Le Mars
Does Le Mars have a public library?
Yes. Le Mars Public Library, 46 1st St. SW, serves Le Mars’ 13,378 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 62 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Le Mars Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Le Mars’ library?
It logged 8.1 visits and lent 5.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Le Mars’ civic life grade?
C Le Mars is ahead of 32% of U.S. towns on civic life, #127 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 Le Mars.
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.