Richton Park’s library runs 60 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Richton Park Public Library District serves Richton Park’s 12,500 residents. Last year it lent 27K books, movies and e-books and logged 48K visits.
The short version on Richton Park’s library
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Richton Park Public Library District ran 744 programs last year, about 14 a week. That’s 60 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Richton Park invests in its library
Richton Park Public Library District spends $113 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (87%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
Richton Park Public Library District holds 82,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once last year. What people borrow ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 0% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 99% 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 Richton Park’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Richton Park is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns, #425 of 754 in Illinois. Richton Park’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($48K–$81K) 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 →
62 community nonprofits are registered in Richton Park
5.0 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 (26 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 5 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
3.5%
3.5% of Richton Park’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 Richton Park’s residents live; 2022.
About 5 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 Richton Park last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Richton Park Public Library District serves 12,500 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
27K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 82K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
Find it
Richton Park Public Library District, 22310 Latonia Lane, Richton Park.
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 Richton Park cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $1.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $573K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.4M 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 4,648 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Richton Park ranks 4th of 6 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort | Frankfort Public Library District | 7.7 | 67 | B+ |
| Matteson | Matteson Public Library fine-free | 3.4 | 65 | C+ |
| Park Forest | Park Forest Public Library fine-free | 2.3 | 48 | C− |
| Richton Park | Richton Park Public Library District fine-free | 2.2 | 54 | C+ |
| University Park | University Park Public Library District | 1.5 | 52 | D |
| Monee Township | University Park Public Library District | 1.5 | 52 | C− |
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.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 Richton Park
Does Richton Park have a public library?
Yes. Richton Park Public Library District, 22310 Latonia Lane, serves Richton Park’s 12,500 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Richton Park Public Library District fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Richton Park’s library?
It logged 3.9 visits and lent 2.2 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Richton Park’s civic life grade?
C+ Richton Park is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns on civic life, #425 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 Richton Park.
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.