Rockford’s library lends 2.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries its size
Rockford Public Library serves Rockford’s 758 residents. Last year it lent 2,032 print books and media and logged 2,064 visits.
What stands out about Rockford’s library
Read from the library’s own yearly report. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Rockford’s civic life grade
Rockford isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 5 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Rockford Public Library serves 758 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
Every hour the doors are open, about 1 item goes out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: library cards. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Books and media off the shelf
2,032 print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Rockford’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 8,564 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
40 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Find it
Rockford Public Library, 202 W Main Ave, Rockford.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Rockford resident borrows (the library didn’t report its card count for 2024).
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $39K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $37K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $39K 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 resident’s month = the library’s yearly loans and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ the 758 people it serves ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Not reported for 2024: library cards. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- 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 Rockford
Does Rockford have a public library?
Yes. Rockford Public Library, 202 W Main Ave, serves Rockford’s 758 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 35 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Rockford Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Rockford’s library?
It logged 2.7 visits and lent 2.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Rockford’s civic life grade?
Rockford isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Rockford.
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.