Photo: Richc80 · CC BY-SA 3.0Mitchellville’s library runs 200 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Mitchellville Public Library serves Mitchellville’s 2,620 residents. Last year it lent 17K print books and media and logged 6,125 visits.
The short version on Mitchellville’s library
Six times the programs of a typical library its size
Mitchellville Public Library ran 523 programs last year, about 10 a week. That’s 200 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
59% of the 523 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 102 were for children. 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 Mitchellville’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Mitchellville is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #108 of 138 in Iowa. Mitchellville’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; library visits pull 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 →
12 community nonprofits are registered in Mitchellville
4.7 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
8.6%
8.6% of Mitchellville’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 Mitchellville’s residents live; 2022.
About 2 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 Mitchellville last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Mitchellville Public Library serves 2,620 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 451 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
17K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 17K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
Find it
Mitchellville Public Library, 205 Center Ave N, Mitchellville.
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 $1.67 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Mitchellville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $184K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $308K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $184K 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 928 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Visits are a typical-week estimate. Mitchellville Public Library counted one typical week and multiplied by 52, as the survey allows.
- 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 Mitchellville
Does Mitchellville have a public library?
Yes. Mitchellville Public Library, 205 Center Ave N, serves Mitchellville’s 2,620 residents (the survey’s count).
Is Mitchellville Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Mitchellville’s library?
It logged 2.3 visits and lent 6.4 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Mitchellville’s civic life grade?
B Mitchellville is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on civic life, #108 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 Mitchellville.
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.