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Maison Bequette-RibaultPhoto: Andrew Balet · CC BY 2.5
Sainte Genevieve County Library

Ste. Genevieve’s library logs 1.3 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size

Sainte Genevieve County Library serves 18,479 people in and around Ste. Genevieve. Last year it lent 33K books, movies and e-books and logged 24K visits.

21388 Hwy 32, Ste Genevieve 63670 · about 56 hours a week
A−Civic lifeAhead of 82% of U.S. towns · #60 of 229 in Missouri. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (573) 883-3358 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
33K
1.8 per resident
Visits a year
24K
1.3 per resident · Below typical (3.1)
Programs & events
147
about 3 a week · 4,853 attended
Cardholders
29%
5,364 cards
Open
56 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

What Ste. Genevieve’s library is like

Sainte Genevieve County Library is used less than most libraries its size

Sainte Genevieve County Library records 1.3 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 1.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. It also spends less than most: $19 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓

Gifts and endowments pay a real share

30% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 70%. What your card is worth ↓

Most programs are for young children

69% of the 147 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.2 a week 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; Sainte Genevieve County Library serves 18,479 people in and around Ste. Genevieve, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Ste. Genevieve’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Ste. Genevieve is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #60 of 229 in Missouri. Ste. Genevieve 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 Ste. Genevieve’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureB+Community nonprofits5.0 per 1,000 residents · MO towns 3.8 · U.S. 3.7B+Volunteering9.3% of adults 25–44 · MO towns 9.3% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 82%
FewerMore
Missouri towns we grade (229)Ahead of 74%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $36K–$60K (4,302)Ahead of 79%

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. Ste. Genevieve is small (5,065 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

25 community nonprofits are registered in Ste. Genevieve

5.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture20.34 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation20.42 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans81.54 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services51.02 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education10.26 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.08 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.18 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other61.20 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 (6 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 1 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.

Volunteering

9.3%

9.3% of Ste. Genevieve’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 9.3% in the typical Missouri 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 Ste. Genevieve’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.3 visits · typical 3.1Lower than 83%
Borrowing per resident 1.2 print items · typical 3.9Lower than 88%
Digital borrowing 0.6 e-items · typical 1.1Lower than 71%
Kids’ borrowing 0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.8Lower than 84%
Program attendance 0.3 attendees · typical 0.4Lower than 71%
Programs offered 8 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Lower than 89%
Cardholders 29% of residents · typical 40%Lower than 70%
Spending $19 per resident · typical $43Lower than 85%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Sainte Genevieve County Library serves 18,479 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 11 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Sainte Genevieve County Library system. The library’s own count.

24K
visits
1.3 per resident
33K
loans, print + digital
1.8 per resident
147
programs & events
4,853 attended
5,364
library cards
29% of people served
Every open hour11items borrowed
Every week93people at a program
Every day4Wi-Fi sessions
5 staff (full-time equivalent)6 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

33K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

33Kloans
Books & media (adults) 38%Kids’ books & media 30%E-books, audio & streaming 32%
From your couch

10,860 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 2 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Ste. Genevieve →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–560
Ages 6–1142
Teens12
Adults10
All ages23
Little ones
1.2

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

10K
kids’ books & media borrowed
4,853
people at programs
147
programs
The building

Find it

Sainte Genevieve County Library, 21388 Hwy 32, Ste Genevieve.

Directions(573) 883-3358
56
hours open a week
6,850
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Sainte Genevieve County Library branch.

New in Ste. Genevieve? The Handbook →

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

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.55 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Ste. Genevieve 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
$19 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $354K.

Local taxes 70%Gifts & other 30%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $549K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $354K 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 5,364 cardholders ÷ 12.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Sainte Genevieve County Library serves 18,479 people in and around Ste. Genevieve, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Ste. Genevieve.

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 Ste. Genevieve

Does Ste. Genevieve have a public library?

Yes. Sainte Genevieve County Library, 21388 Hwy 32, serves 18,479 people in and around Ste. Genevieve (the survey’s count) and is open about 56 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Sainte Genevieve County 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 Ste. Genevieve’s library?

It logged 1.3 visits and lent 1.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.

What is Ste. Genevieve’s civic life grade?

A− Ste. Genevieve is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on civic life, #60 of 229 in Missouri. 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 Ste. Genevieve.

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.