Steeleville’s library runs 68 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Steeleville Area Public Library District serves 4,182 people in and around Steeleville. Last year it lent 13K print books and media and logged 11K visits.
Steeleville’s library, in brief
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
79% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 19%. What your card is worth ↓
Programs lean toward adults
54% of the 284 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 41 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; Steeleville Area Public Library District serves 4,182 people in and around Steeleville, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Steeleville’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Steeleville is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. Steeleville is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups 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 Steeleville
5.4 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 (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
16.4%
16.4% of Steeleville’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 Steeleville’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Steeleville Area Public Library District serves 4,182 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Steeleville Area Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
13K 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 Steeleville’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
284 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, 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
Steeleville Area Public Library District, 625 South Sparta Street, Steeleville.
Good at every Steeleville Area Public Library District branch.
New in Steeleville? The Handbook →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 $1.98 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Steeleville cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $128K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $253K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $128K 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 303 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.
- System-wide. Steeleville Area Public Library District serves 4,182 people in and around Steeleville, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Steeleville.
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 Steeleville
Does Steeleville have a public library?
Yes. Steeleville Area Public Library District, 625 South Sparta Street, serves 4,182 people in and around Steeleville (the survey’s count) and is open about 41 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Steeleville Area Public Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Steeleville’s library?
It logged 2.7 visits and lent 3.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Steeleville’s civic life grade?
A+ Steeleville is ahead of 95% 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 Steeleville.
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.