Photo: Robert Stinnett · CC BY 2.0State Center’s library runs 186 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Gutekunst Public Library serves State Center’s 2,597 residents. Last year it lent 10K print books and media and logged 13K visits.
What State Center’s library is like
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
86% of the library’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 13%. What your card is worth ↓
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
Gutekunst Public Library ran 483 programs last year, about 9 a week. That’s 186 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 5,099 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A place to get online
Gutekunst Public Library logs about 31 Wi-Fi sessions a day and has 5 public computers. That’s 4.4 sessions per resident a year. A year at the library ↓
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 State Center’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, State Center is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns. State Center is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; State Center’s 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 →
10 community nonprofits are registered in State Center
7.1 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.
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.
7.8%
7.8% of State Center’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 State Center’s residents live; 2022.
About 3 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 State Center last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Gutekunst Public Library serves 2,597 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 4 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
10K 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 0.6 time last year, on average.
Find it
Gutekunst Public Library, 309 2nd St. SE, State Center.
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 $1.61 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average State Center cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $146K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $235K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $146K 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 983 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 State Center
Does State Center have a public library?
Yes. Gutekunst Public Library, 309 2nd St. SE, serves State Center’s 2,597 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Gutekunst Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is State Center’s library?
It logged 5.2 visits and lent 3.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is State Center’s civic life grade?
A− State Center is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 State Center.
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.