St. Paul’s library logs 5.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3.5 for libraries its size
Graves Memorial Public Library serves 868 people in and around St. Paul. Last year it lent 988 books, movies and e-books and logged 5,136 visits.
St. Paul’s library, in brief
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 74% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 11%. The building also logs about 1 Wi-Fi sessions a day. A year at the library ↓
More library cards than residents
900 cards for 868 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
A small-town library
Graves Memorial Public Library serves 868 residents with about one full-time staff, open about 49 hours a week. It’s compared only with libraries serving under 2,500 people, because per-person numbers always look big in a small town. A year at the library ↓
Graves Memorial Public Library serves more than St. Paul
The library’s service area covers 868 people in and around St. Paul, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. How it compares ↓
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; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind St. Paul’s civic life grade
St. Paul 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 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
Graves Memorial Public Library serves 868 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at Graves Memorial Public Library
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
988 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 5,929 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.2 time last year, on average.
1 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
50 programs a year
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
Graves Memorial Public Library, 717 Central, St. Paul.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in St. Paul? The Handbook →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 St. Paul cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $48K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $24K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $48K 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 900 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 St. Paul
Does St. Paul have a public library?
Yes. Graves Memorial Public Library, 717 Central, serves 868 people in and around St. Paul (the survey’s count) and is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Graves Memorial Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is St. Paul’s library?
It logged 5.9 visits and lent 1.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is St. Paul’s civic life grade?
St. Paul 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 St. Paul.
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.