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Armada Free Public Library

Armada’s library runs 25 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size

Armada Free Public Library serves 5,318 people in and around Armada. Last year it logged 14K visits.

73930 Church Street, Armada 48005 · about 50 hours a week
A−Civic lifeAhead of 79% of U.S. towns. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (586) 784-5921 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
—
Not reported for 2024
Visits a year
14K
2.7 per resident · Below typical (3)
Programs & events
131
about 3 a week · 973 attended
Cardholders
62%
3,287 cards
Open
50 hrs
a week
Civic life grade

What’s behind Armada’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Armada is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. Armada 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.

A−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Armada’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureB−Community nonprofits3.8 per 1,000 residents · MI towns 3.1 · U.S. 3.7AVolunteering11.5% of adults 25–44 · MI towns 12.4% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 79%
FewerMore
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $77K–$128K (6,817)Ahead of 81%

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. Armada is small (1,681 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

8 community nonprofits are registered in Armada

3.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.15 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation21.10 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans20.95 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services00.15 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education10.45 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.00 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.45 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other10.45 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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

11.5%

11.5% of Armada’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 12.4% in the typical Michigan 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 Armada’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 6 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 2.7 visits · typical 3Lower than 55%
Kids’ borrowing 2 kids’ items · typical 1.6Higher than 58%
Program attendance 0.2 attendees · typical 0.5Lower than 80%
Programs offered 24.6 per 1,000 residents · typical 34Lower than 64%
Cardholders 62% of residents · typical 42%Higher than 73%
Spending $58 per resident · typical $43Higher than 68%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Armada Free Public Library serves 5,318 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.

A year at the library

A year at Armada Free Public Library

Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.

14K
visits
2.7 per resident
131
programs & events
973 attended
3,287
library cards
62% of people served
Every week19people at a program
Every day8Wi-Fi sessions
4 staff (full-time equivalent)10 public computers

Not reported for 2024: print loans and books & media on the shelves. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.

Kids & programs

About 2 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.

Schools in Armada →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–549
Ages 6–1131
Teens18
Adults33
All ages0
Little ones
0.9

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

10K
kids’ books & media borrowed
973
people at programs
131
programs
The building

Find it

Armada Free Public Library, 73930 Church Street, Armada.

Directions(586) 784-5921
50
hours open a week
8,000
square feet
With a card

E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.

New in Armada? The Handbook →

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

What your card is worth

What a library card is worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Armada 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
$58 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $308K.

Local taxes 95%State 1%Gifts & other 4%

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 3,287 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • Not reported for 2024: print loans and books & media on the shelves. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.

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 Armada

Does Armada have a public library?

Yes. Armada Free Public Library, 73930 Church Street, serves 5,318 people in and around Armada (the survey’s count) and is open about 50 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Armada Free Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?

It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).

How busy is Armada’s library?

It logged 2.7 visits per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.

What is Armada’s civic life grade?

A− Armada is ahead of 79% 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 Armada.

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.