Charleston’s library is a branch of Tallahatchie County Library, which logs less per resident than 95% of systems its size
Charleston’s library is the Charleston Public Library, a branch of Tallahatchie County Library, which serves 11,837 people.
The short version on Charleston’s library
Mississippi pays a big share
25% of the budget comes from the state, and 68% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Runs on less money than most
The Tallahatchie County Library system spends $14 per resident, less than 91% of similar-size libraries (typical: $43). What your card is worth ↓
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; Charleston’s library is a branch of Tallahatchie County Library, so they cover the whole system (11,837 people), not just the Charleston branch.
What’s behind Charleston’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Charleston is ahead of 2% of U.S. towns. Charleston is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Charleston’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Tallahatchie County Library spends $14 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($28K–$46K) 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 →
4 community nonprofits are registered in Charleston
1.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
2.6%
2.6% of Charleston’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 4.4% in the typical Mississippi 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 Charleston’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 5 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Tallahatchie County Library serves 11,837 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
A year at Tallahatchie County Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Tallahatchie County Library system. The library’s own count.
Loans aren’t shown: this year’s report counted only 2,334 items borrowed against 8,231 visits, so we leave the count out.
104 programs a year
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.
Find it
Charleston Public Library, 102 East Walnut Street, Charleston.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Tallahatchie County Library branch.
New in Charleston? 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 Charleston cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $160K.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 3,979 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Charleston Public Library is one branch of Tallahatchie County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 11,837 people it serves.
- Loans left out. This year’s loan count is far below the library’s visits and shelves, so we leave it out.
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 Charleston
Does Charleston have a public library?
Yes: Charleston Public Library, 102 East Walnut Street, is a branch of Tallahatchie County Library, which serves 11,837 people. The branch is open about 35 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Tallahatchie County Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Charleston’s library?
It logged 0.7 visits per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Charleston’s civic life grade?
D− Charleston is ahead of 2% 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 Charleston.
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.