Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0New York Mills’ library lends 10 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
New York Mills Public Library serves New York Mills’s 3,075 residents. Last year it lent 38K books, movies and e-books and logged 14K visits.
New York Mills’s library, in brief
New York Mills is a town of borrowers
New York Mills Public Library lends 10 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, more than 91% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 40% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 86% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 32 items per child in New York Mills last year. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
56% of the 61 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 6 were for children. 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.
What’s behind New York Mills’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, New York Mills is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. New York Mills is graded on two of the three inputs. New York Mills’ count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($43K–$71K) 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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in New York Mills
4.6 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.
5.9%
5.9% of New York Mills’ Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.4% in the typical Minnesota 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 New York Mills’ residents live; 2022.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
38K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 24K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.3 time last year, on average.
7,399 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
New York Mills Public Library serves 3,075 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 18 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
61 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in New York Mills last year.
Find it
New York Mills Public Library, 30 North Main, New York Mills.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in New York Mills? 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 $2.99 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average New York Mills cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $200K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $597K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $200K 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 1,600 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 New York Mills
Does New York Mills have a public library?
Yes. New York Mills Public Library, 30 North Main, serves New York Mills’ 3,075 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 41 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is New York Mills 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 New York Mills’ library?
It logged 4.6 visits and lent 12.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is New York Mills’ civic life grade?
C+ New York Mills is ahead of 40% 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 New York Mills.
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.