Carleton’s library is a branch of Monroe County Library System, which lends more per resident than 64% of systems its size
Carleton’s library is the Carleton Branch Library, a branch of Monroe County Library System, which serves 152,595 people and lent 662K items last year.
Carleton’s library, in brief
Nine times the programs of a typical library its size
The Monroe County Library System ran 12,303 programs last year, about 237 a week. That’s 81 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 179,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 15% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 41% for its size. 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; Carleton’s library is a branch of Monroe County Library System, so they cover the whole system (152,595 people), not just the Carleton branch.
What’s behind Carleton’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Carleton is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. Carleton is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Carleton’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
5 community nonprofits are registered in Carleton
1.9 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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
12.2%
12.2% of Carleton’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 Carleton’s residents live; 2022.
About 54 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 6 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Monroe County Library System serves 152,595 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 21 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Monroe County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
662K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
Carleton Branch Library, 1444 Kent Street, Carleton.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Monroe County Library System branch.
New in Carleton? 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 $1.46 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Carleton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $8M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $12M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $8M 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 23,599 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Carleton Branch Library is one branch of Monroe County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 152,595 people it serves.
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 Carleton
Does Carleton have a public library?
Yes: Carleton Branch Library, 1444 Kent Street, is a branch of Monroe County Library System, which serves 152,595 people. The branch is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Monroe County Library System 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 Carleton’s library?
It logged 2.7 visits and lent 4.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Carleton’s civic life grade?
B− Carleton is ahead of 53% 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 Carleton.
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.