Big Creek Township’s library logs 1.5 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Oscoda County District Library serves 8,219 people in and around Big Creek Township. Last year it logged 13K visits.
Big Creek Township’s library, in brief
Few programs for a library this size
Oscoda County District Library offered 74 programs last year, 9 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 74 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 32 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; Oscoda County District Library serves 8,219 people in and around Big Creek Township, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Big Creek Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Big Creek Township is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #21 of 697 in Michigan. Big Creek Township 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 →
16 community nonprofits are registered in Big Creek Township
6.0 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
16.1%
16.1% of Big Creek Township’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 Big Creek Township’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Oscoda County District Library serves 8,219 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
A year at Oscoda County District Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Oscoda County District Library system. The library’s own count.
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.
About 1 kids’ program 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.
Find it
Oscoda County District Library, 430 West Eighth Street, Mio.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Oscoda County District Library branch.
New in Big Creek Township? 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 Big Creek Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $299K.
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 5,280 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Creek Township | Oscoda County District Library | — | 43 | A+ |
| South Branch Township | None of its own | — | — | A |
| Mentor Township | None of its own | — | — | A |
| Greenwood Township | None of its own | — | — | A+ |
| Elmer Township | None of its own | — | — | A |
| Foster Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
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.
- System-wide. Oscoda County District Library serves 8,219 people in and around Big Creek Township, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Big Creek Township.
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 Big Creek Township
Does Big Creek Township have a public library?
Yes. Oscoda County District Library, 430 West Eighth Street, serves 8,219 people in and around Big Creek Township (the survey’s count) and is open about 43 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Oscoda County District 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 Big Creek Township’s library?
It logged 1.5 visits per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Big Creek Township’s civic life grade?
A+ Big Creek Township is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on civic life, #21 of 697 in Michigan. 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 Big Creek Township.
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.