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PearlRiverCountyCourthousePhoto: Woodlot · CC BY-SA 3.0
Poplarville Public Library · part of Pearl River County Library System

Poplarville’s library is a branch of Pearl River County Library System, which lends less per resident than 89% of systems its size

Poplarville’s library is the Poplarville Public Library, a branch of Pearl River County Library System, which serves 57,978 people and lent 65K items last year.

202 West Beers Street, Poplarville 39470 · about 33 hours a week
C−Civic lifeAhead of 21% of U.S. towns · #45 of 85 in Mississippi. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (601) 795-8411 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
65K
1.1 per resident
Visits a year
62K
1.1 per resident · Below typical (2.6)
Programs & events
214
about 4 a week · 6,059 attended
Cardholders
14%
8,110 cards
Open
33 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Poplarville’s library, in brief

The Pearl River County Library System is used less than most libraries its size

The Pearl River County Library System records 1.1 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people. Borrowing is 1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.7. It also spends less than most: $17 per resident, against a typical $40. How it compares ↓

Few programs for a library this size

The Pearl River County Library System offered 214 programs last year, 3.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. Kids & programs ↓

Few residents carry a card

Only 14% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 39% for its size. How it compares ↓

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; Poplarville’s library is a branch of Pearl River County Library System, so they cover the whole system (57,978 people), not just the Poplarville branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Poplarville’s civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Poplarville is ahead of 21% of U.S. towns, #45 of 85 in Mississippi. Poplarville is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups comes closest to the middle.

C−
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Poplarville’s overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureCCommunity nonprofits2.6 per 1,000 residents · MS towns 2.8 · U.S. 3.7C+Volunteering6.6% of adults 25–44 · MS towns 4.4% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 21%
FewerMore
Mississippi towns we grade (85)Ahead of 48%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $40K–$67K (6,010)Ahead of 21%

Pearl River County Library System spends $17 per resident, against a typical $40 for libraries its size.

Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($40K–$67K) 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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Poplarville is small (2,918 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

7 community nonprofits are registered in Poplarville

2.6 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture00.18 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation10.49 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans10.39 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services10.32 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education20.63 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health00.18 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.25 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other00.18 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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

6.6%

6.6% of Poplarville’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 Poplarville’s residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 1.1 visits · typical 2.6Lower than 88%
Borrowing per resident 1 print items · typical 3.7Lower than 89%
Digital borrowing 0.1 e-items · typical 1.2Bottom 10%
Kids’ borrowing 0.5 kids’ items · typical 1.7Lower than 84%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.3Bottom 10%
Programs offered 3.7 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Bottom 10%
Cardholders 14% of residents · typical 39%Bottom 10%
Spending $17 per resident · typical $40Lower than 86%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Pearl River County Library System serves 57,978 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 18 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Pearl River County Library System system. The library’s own count.

62K
visits
1.1 per resident
65K
loans, print + digital
1.1 per resident
214
programs & events
6,059 attended
8,110
library cards
14% of people served
Every open hour18items borrowed
Every week117people at a program
Every day35Wi-Fi sessions
13 staff (full-time equivalent)18 public computers
What people borrow

Almost half the print loans are kids’ books

65K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

65Kloans
Books & media (adults) 46%Kids’ books & media 45%E-books, audio & streaming 9%
From your couch

5,888 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 1 kids’ program a week

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

Schools in Poplarville →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–527
Ages 6–1147
Teens22
Adults56
All ages62
Little ones
0.5

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

29K
kids’ books & media borrowed
6,059
people at programs
214
programs
The building

Find it

Poplarville Public Library, 202 West Beers Street, Poplarville.

Directions(601) 795-8411
33
hours open a week
4,826
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Pearl River County Library System branch.

New in Poplarville? 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 $1.08 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Poplarville 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
$17 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $965K.

Local taxes 79%State 15%Federal 1%Gifts & other 5%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $1M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $965K 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 8,110 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. Poplarville Public Library is one branch of Pearl River County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 57,978 people it serves.

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 Poplarville

Does Poplarville have a public library?

Yes: Poplarville Public Library, 202 West Beers Street, is a branch of Pearl River County Library System, which serves 57,978 people. The branch is open about 33 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Pearl River County Library System 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 Poplarville’s library?

It logged 1.1 visits and lent 1.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Poplarville’s civic life grade?

C− Poplarville is ahead of 21% of U.S. towns on civic life, #45 of 85 in Mississippi. 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 Poplarville.

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.