Markham’s library runs 41 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Markham Public Library serves Markham’s 11,661 residents. Last year it lent 5,364 print books and media and logged 24K visits.
The short version on Markham’s library
Well funded, but lightly used
Markham Public Library spends $110 per resident, more than 92% of similar-size libraries. Use doesn’t match: visits per resident are lower than at 69% of them. What your card is worth ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
Markham Public Library lends 0.5 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, fewer than 98% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 14% of the people Markham Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
Programs lean toward adults
70% of the 474 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 130 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 Markham’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Markham is ahead of 8% of U.S. towns, #693 of 754 in Illinois. All three inputs sit below most U.S. towns; library visits come closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($43K–$72K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
29 community nonprofits are registered in Markham
2.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (28 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 3 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
2.4%
2.4% of Markham’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 Markham’s residents live; 2022.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Markham cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.3M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $165K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.3M 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 1,622 cardholders ÷ 12.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Markham Public Library serves 11,661 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
5,364 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 Markham’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 24K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
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.
Find it
Markham Public Library, 16640 South Kedzie Avenue, Markham.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midlothian | Midlothian Public Library fine-free | 2.9 | 58 | C− |
| Markham | Markham Public Library | 0.5 | 51 | D |
| Harvey | Harvey Public Library District | — | 44 | D− |
| Oak Forest | Acorn Public Library District fine-free | — | 64 | D |
| Hazel Crest | Grande Prairie Public Library District | — | 58 | C |
| Country Club Hills | None of its own | — | — | D |
| Posen | None of its own | — | — | D− |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
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 Markham
Does Markham have a public library?
Yes. Markham Public Library, 16640 South Kedzie Avenue, serves Markham’s 11,661 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 51 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Markham Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Markham’s library?
It logged 2.1 visits and lent 0.5 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Markham’s civic life grade?
D Markham is ahead of 8% of U.S. towns on civic life, #693 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 Markham.
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.