W. C. Child Ranch · Photo: Robstutz · CC BY-SA 3.0Montana City’s library is a branch of North Jefferson County Library District, which lends more per resident than 68% of systems its size
Montana City’s library is the North Jefferson County Library District Montana City Library, a branch of North Jefferson County Library District, which serves 6,326 people and lent 47K items last year.
The short version on Montana City’s library
Visits are the system’s strong suit
The North Jefferson County Library District system logs 12 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, more than 96% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing is above typical too, at 5.4 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
71% of the 224 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.5 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; Montana City’s library is a branch of North Jefferson County Library District, so they cover the whole system (6,326 people), not just the Montana City branch.
What’s behind Montana City’s civic life grade
Montana City isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of North Jefferson County Library District, so there is no town figure for visits.
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 →
Volunteering in Montana City
Montana City is unincorporated, so its nonprofits aren’t counted: they file by mailing address, which doesn’t follow its boundary.
5.9%
5.9% of Montana City’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.0% in the typical Montana State 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 Montana City’s residents live; 2022.
Every hour the doors are open, about 15 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole North Jefferson County Library District system. The library’s own count.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
North Jefferson County Library District serves 6,326 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
47K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
12,827 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, 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
North Jefferson County Library District Montana City Library, 1 Jackson Creek Road, Clancy.
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 North Jefferson County Library District branch.
New in Montana City? 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 $2.91 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Montana City cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $259K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $754K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $259K 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 2,116 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana City | North Jefferson County Library District Montana City Library fine-free | — | 30 | — unincorporated |
| Clancy | North Jefferson County Library District Clancy Library fine-free | — | 30 | — unincorporated |
| South Hills | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. North Jefferson County Library District Montana City Library is one branch of North Jefferson County Library District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 6,326 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 Montana City
Does Montana City have a public library?
Yes: North Jefferson County Library District Montana City Library, 1 Jackson Creek Road, is a branch of North Jefferson County Library District, which serves 6,326 people. The branch is open about 30 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is North Jefferson County Library District 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 Montana City’s library?
It logged 11.8 visits and lent 7.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Montana City’s civic life grade?
Montana City isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of North Jefferson County Library District, so there is no town figure for visits. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Montana City.
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.