Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 4.0West Plains’ library logs 9.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
West Plains Public Library serves West Plains’s 12,184 residents. Last year it lent 107K books, movies and e-books and logged 111K visits.
What West Plains’s library is like
West Plains uses its library more than almost any town its size
West Plains Public Library logs 9.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, and lends 8.6 print items per resident against a typical 3.9. On both counts it beats 86% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Programs are almost all for children
86% of the 156 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Top 10% in Missouri for library use
West Plains ranks #5 of 50 Missouri towns with a library of their own for visits per resident. That’s 9.1 visits per resident, more than at 96% of similar-size libraries nationwide. How it compares ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 3% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 89% of similar-size libraries. 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.
What’s behind West Plains’ civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, West Plains is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #36 of 229 in Missouri. All three inputs are above most U.S. towns; library visits rank 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 →
54 community nonprofits are registered in West Plains
4.4 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 (20 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.
10.6%
10.6% of West Plains’ 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 West Plains’ residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 42 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
West Plains Public Library serves 12,184 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
107K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 60K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.7 times last year, on average.
2,958 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
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 West Plains last year.
Find it
West Plains Public Library, 750 W Broadway St., West Plains.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in West Plains? 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 $3.35 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average West Plains cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $515K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $515K 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 5,180 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 West Plains
Does West Plains have a public library?
Yes. West Plains Public Library, 750 W Broadway St., serves West Plains’ 12,184 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West Plains 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 West Plains’ library?
It logged 9.1 visits and lent 8.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is West Plains’ civic life grade?
A West Plains is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on civic life, #36 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 West Plains.
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.