Meisch House · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainSouth Sioux City’s library runs 55 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24 for libraries its size
South Sioux City Public Library serves South Sioux City’s 13,856 residents. Last year it lent 18K books, movies and e-books and logged 45K visits.
The short version on South Sioux City’s library
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
South Sioux City Public Library ran 766 programs last year, about 15 a week. That’s 55 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
South Sioux City Public Library lends 0.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, fewer than 94% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
A big collection for the borrowing it gets
South Sioux City Public Library holds 39,000 books and other items, but the average item went out less than once last year. 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 South Sioux City’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, South Sioux City is ahead of 12% of U.S. towns, #53 of 55 in Nebraska. All three inputs sit below most U.S. towns; library visits come closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($51K–$85K) 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 →
31 community nonprofits are registered in South Sioux City
2.2 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 (15 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
2.4%
2.4% of South Sioux City’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.9% in the typical Nebraska 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 South Sioux City’s residents live; 2022.
About 6 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in South Sioux City last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
South Sioux City Public Library serves 13,856 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 6 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
18K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 39K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.3 time last year, on average.
6,946 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
South Sioux City Public Library, 2121 Dakota Avenue, South Sioux City.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in South Sioux City? 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 South Sioux City cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $460K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $311K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $460K 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 6,955 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
South Sioux City ranks 3rd of 3 for borrowing per resident. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | Sioux City Public Library | 2.3 | 58 | C− |
| Dakota City | Dakota City Public Library fine-free | 2.2 | 29 | C− |
| South Sioux City | South Sioux City Public Library fine-free | 1.3 | 59 | D |
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.
- 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 South Sioux City
Does South Sioux City have a public library?
Yes. South Sioux City Public Library, 2121 Dakota Avenue, serves South Sioux City’s 13,856 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 59 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is South Sioux City 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 South Sioux City’s library?
It logged 3.2 visits and lent 1.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is South Sioux City’s civic life grade?
D South Sioux City is ahead of 12% of U.S. towns on civic life, #53 of 55 in Nebraska. 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 South Sioux 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.