Photo: Nyttend · Public domainStanton’s library runs 65 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
Powell County Public Library serves 12,972 people in and around Stanton. Last year it lent 27K books, movies and e-books and logged 16K visits.
Stanton’s library, in brief
Powell County Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
Powell County Public Library records 1.2 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 1.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. It also spends less than most: $26 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
Powell County Public Library ran 848 programs last year, about 16 a week. That’s 65 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
66% of the 848 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 5.7 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Powell County Public Library serves 12,972 people in and around Stanton, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Stanton’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Stanton is ahead of 7% of U.S. towns, #119 of 126 in Kentucky. Stanton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Stanton’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Powell County Public Library spends $26 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($19K–$32K) 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 →
8 community nonprofits are registered in Stanton
2.4 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 (8 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.2%
4.2% of Stanton’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 Stanton’s residents live; 2022.
About 11 kids’ programs a week
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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Powell County Public Library serves 12,972 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 9 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Powell County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
27K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
5,615 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Powell County Public Library, 725 Breckenridge Street, Stanton.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Powell County Public Library branch.
New in Stanton? 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 $1.53 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Stanton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $331K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $505K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $331K 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 3,457 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Powell County Public Library serves 12,972 people in and around Stanton, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Stanton.
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 Stanton
Does Stanton have a public library?
Yes. Powell County Public Library, 725 Breckenridge Street, serves 12,972 people in and around Stanton (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Powell 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 Stanton’s library?
It logged 1.2 visits and lent 2.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Stanton’s civic life grade?
D Stanton is ahead of 7% of U.S. towns on civic life, #119 of 126 in Kentucky. 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 Stanton.
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.