Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0Manhattan’s library runs 57 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District serves 15,255 people in and around Manhattan. Last year it lent 81K print books and media and logged 50K visits.
Manhattan’s library, in brief
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District ran 872 programs last year, about 17 a week. That’s 57 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. People show up: 17,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District serves more than Manhattan
The library’s service area covers 15,255 people in and around Manhattan, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
65% of the 872 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 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 Manhattan’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Manhattan is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #264 of 754 in Illinois. Manhattan is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Manhattan’s count of community nonprofits pulls 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 →
33 community nonprofits are registered in Manhattan
3.0 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 (7 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 2 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
10.0%
10.0% of Manhattan’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.1% in the typical Illinois 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 Manhattan’s residents live; 2022.
About 11 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District serves 15,255 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 33 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
81K 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 Manhattan’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 49K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.6 times last year, on average.
Find it
Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District, 240 Whitson Street, Manhattan.
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 $1.46 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Manhattan cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.1M 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 6,543 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’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 Manhattan
Does Manhattan have a public library?
Yes. Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District, 240 Whitson Street, serves 15,255 people in and around Manhattan (the survey’s count) and is open about 47 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Manhattan-Elwood Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Manhattan’s library?
It logged 3.3 visits and lent 5.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Manhattan’s civic life grade?
B Manhattan is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on civic life, #264 of 754 in Illinois. 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 Manhattan.
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.