Melan Bridge · Photo: Joseph Elliott · Public domainRock Rapids’ library lends 9.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Rock Rapids Public Library serves Rock Rapids’s 4,093 residents. Last year it lent 38K print books and media and logged 15K visits.
The short version on Rock Rapids’s library
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 60% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 93% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 31 items per child in Rock Rapids last year. Kids & programs ↓
Rock Rapids is a town of borrowers
Rock Rapids Public Library lends 9.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, more than 89% 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 Rock Rapids’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Rock Rapids is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #15 of 138 in Iowa. Rock Rapids is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Rock Rapids’ count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
25 community nonprofits are registered in Rock Rapids
9.4 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 (9 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
9.8%
9.8% of Rock Rapids’ 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 Rock Rapids’ residents live; 2022.
49 programs a year
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 Rock Rapids 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.
Rock Rapids Public Library serves 4,093 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 16 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
38K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Each of the 44K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.9 time last year, on average.
Find it
Rock Rapids Public Library, 102 S Greene St., Rock Rapids.
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 $3.00 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Rock Rapids cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $180K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $539K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $180K 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 1,536 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 Rock Rapids
Does Rock Rapids have a public library?
Yes. Rock Rapids Public Library, 102 S Greene St., serves Rock Rapids’ 4,093 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 47 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Rock Rapids Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Rock Rapids’ library?
It logged 3.7 visits and lent 9.2 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Rock Rapids’ civic life grade?
A Rock Rapids is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on civic life, #15 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 Rock Rapids.
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.