Photo: Alexbaumgarner · CC BY-SA 3.0Rockford Township’s library runs 8 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9 for libraries its size
Rockford Public Library serves 148,655 people in and around Rockford Township from 4 locations. Last year it lent 444K print books and media and logged 330K visits.
What Rockford Township’s library is like
Few residents carry a card
Only 16% of the people Rockford Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 41% for its size. How it compares ↓
Illinois pays a big share
28% of the budget comes from the state, and 65% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Four places to borrow in Rockford Township
Rockford Public Library runs four locations, and one card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
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 Rockford Township’s civic life grade
Rockford Township 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 →
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Rockford Public Library serves 148,655 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
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
444K 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 Township’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 156K books and other items on the shelves went out about 2.8 times last year, on average.
About 14 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.
5 places to borrow in Rockford Township
Rockford Public Library, 215 North Wyman Street, Rockford.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other libraries in Rockford Township
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Rockford Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $8.1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $7.8M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $8.1M 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 24,188 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Rockford Township ranks 2nd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belvidere Township | Ida Public Library | 3.3 | 56 | — graded with its twin city |
| Rockford Township | Rockford Public Library | 3.0 | 60 | — graded with its twin city |
| Rockford | Rockford Public Library | 3.0 | 60 | C− |
| Cherry Valley Township | Cherry Valley Public Library District | — | 63 | D |
| Winnebago Township | Winnebago Public Library District fine-free | — | 54 | C− |
| Cherry Valley | Cherry Valley Public Library District | — | 63 | D |
| Loves Park | North Suburban Public Library District fine-free | — | 58 | C− |
| Owen Township | None of its own | — | — | D− |
| Harlem Township | None of its own | — | — | C− |
| Monroe Township | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Scott Township | None of its own | — | — | 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.
- 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 Rockford Township
Does Rockford Township have a public library?
Yes. Rockford Public Library, 215 North Wyman Street, serves 148,655 people in and around Rockford Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 60 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Rockford Public Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Rockford Township’s library?
It logged 2.2 visits and lent 3.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Rockford Township’s civic life grade?
Rockford Township 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 Township.
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.