Lorenzo and Ruth Wells Palmer House · Photo: Notorious4life · Public domainHudson’s library runs 123 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Hudson Carnegie District Library serves 5,174 people in and around Hudson. Last year it lent 3,823 print books and media and logged 11K visits.
What Hudson’s library is like
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 100% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 75% of similar-size libraries, so the high share mostly reflects light borrowing by adults. What people borrow ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
Hudson Carnegie District Library ran 636 programs last year, about 12 a week. That’s 123 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
Hudson Carnegie District Library lends 0.7 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, fewer than 93% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
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; Hudson Carnegie District Library serves 5,174 people in and around Hudson, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Hudson’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Hudson is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. Hudson is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Hudson’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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in Hudson
2.9 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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
11.9%
11.9% of Hudson’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 Hudson’s residents live; 2022.
About 3 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 3 of 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Hudson Carnegie District Library serves 5,174 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Hudson Carnegie District Library system. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
3,823 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
Hudson Public Library, 205 South Market Street, Hudson.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Hudson Carnegie District Library branch.
New in Hudson? 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 Hudson cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $143K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $85K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $143K 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 2,345 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson | Hudson Public Library fine-free | — | 40 | B+ |
| Hudson Township | None of its own | — | — | B |
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.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Hudson Carnegie District Library serves 5,174 people in and around Hudson, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Hudson.
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 Hudson
Does Hudson have a public library?
Yes. Hudson Carnegie District Library, 205 South Market Street, serves 5,174 people in and around Hudson (the survey’s count) and is open about 40 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Hudson Carnegie District 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 Hudson’s library?
It logged 2.2 visits and lent 0.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Hudson’s civic life grade?
B+ Hudson is ahead of 66% 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 Hudson.
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.