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Edwards HallEdwards Hall · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Todd County Public Library

Elkton’s library logs 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size

Todd County Public Library serves 12,494 people in and around Elkton. Last year it lent 30K books, movies and e-books and logged 11K visits.

302 East Main Street, Elkton 42220 · about 46 hours a week
C−Civic lifeAhead of 22% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (270) 265-9071 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
30K
2.4 per resident
Visits a year
11K
0.9 per resident · Below typical (3.1)
Programs & events
179
about 3 a week · 1,773 attended
Cardholders
21%
2,574 cards
Open
46 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

The short version on Elkton’s library

Below typical on every measure

Against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, Todd County Public Library sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on six. How it compares ↓

Kentucky pays a big share

24% of the budget comes from the state, and 69% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓

Programs lean toward adults

66% of the 179 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 59 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; Todd County Public Library serves 12,494 people in and around Elkton, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Elkton’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Elkton is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns. Elkton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Elkton’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.

C−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Elkton’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureB−Community nonprofits3.7 per 1,000 residents · KY towns 3.1 · U.S. 3.7C−Volunteering5.0% of adults 25–44 · KY towns 6.6% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 22%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $37K–$61K (4,517)Ahead of 24%

Todd County Public Library spends $21 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.

Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($37K–$61K) 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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Elkton is small (2,387 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

7 community nonprofits are registered in Elkton

3.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture10.31 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation10.31 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans20.78 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.31 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education20.78 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.16 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other20.94 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

5.0%

5.0% of Elkton’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.6% in the typical Kentucky 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 Elkton’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 0.9 visits · typical 3.1Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 1.7 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 79%
Digital borrowing 0.6 e-items · typical 1.1Lower than 68%
Kids’ borrowing 0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.8Lower than 84%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.4Lower than 86%
Programs offered 14.3 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Lower than 73%
Cardholders 21% of residents · typical 40%Lower than 86%
Spending $21 per resident · typical $43Lower than 83%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Todd County Public Library serves 12,494 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Todd County Public Library system. The library’s own count.

11K
visits
0.9 per resident
30K
loans, print + digital
2.4 per resident
179
programs & events
1,773 attended
2,574
library cards
21% of people served
Every open hour10items borrowed
Every week34people at a program
Every day4Wi-Fi sessions
4 staff (full-time equivalent)5 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

30K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

30Kloans
Books & media (adults) 50%Kids’ books & media 23%E-books, audio & streaming 27%
From your couch

8,004 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 1 kids’ program a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Elkton →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–552
Ages 6–117
Teens2
Adults118
All ages0
Little ones
1

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

6,693
kids’ books & media borrowed
1,773
people at programs
179
programs
The building

Find it

Todd County Public Library, 302 East Main Street, Elkton.

Directions(270) 265-9071
46
hours open a week
3,276
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Todd County Public Library branch.

New in Elkton? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.85 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Elkton cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$21 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $257K.

Local taxes 69%State 24%Gifts & other 7%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $476K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $257K 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 2,574 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Todd County Public Library serves 12,494 people in and around Elkton, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Elkton.

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 Elkton

Does Elkton have a public library?

Yes. Todd County Public Library, 302 East Main Street, serves 12,494 people in and around Elkton (the survey’s count) and is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Todd County 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 Elkton’s library?

It logged 0.9 visits and lent 2.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.

What is Elkton’s civic life grade?

C− Elkton is ahead of 22% 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 Elkton.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.