Anton Chico’s library runs 988 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60 for libraries its size
David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library serves 161 people in and around Anton Chico. Last year it lent 451 books, movies and e-books and logged 1,580 visits.
The short version on Anton Chico’s library
More library cards than residents
291 cards for 161 people. Cards held by people from outside the service area count too, so the total can pass the population. At the typical library serving under 2,500 people, it’s 54%. How it compares ↓
Mostly paid for by gifts, not taxes
67% of the system’s income comes from gifts, endowments, fees and other sources, not taxes. Local taxes cover 0%. What your card is worth ↓
More of a place to be than a place to borrow
Visits per resident beat 89% of similar-size libraries, while borrowing beats only 36%. Program attendance beats 99% of similar libraries. A year at the library ↓
16 times the programs of a typical library its size
David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library ran 159 programs last year, about 3 a week. That’s 988 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 60. People show up: 1,857 attended. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library spends $317 per resident a year, about six times the typical $54 for a library its size. 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; David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library serves 161 people in and around Anton Chico, and its numbers cover all of them; in a town this small, one busy program or a few avid readers move the per-resident numbers.
What’s behind Anton Chico’s civic life grade
Anton Chico isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
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 →
About 2 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving under 2,500 people across the U.S.
David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library serves 161 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving under 2,500.
A year at David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
451 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Find it
David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library, 1077 Nm Sr 386, Anton Chico.
No late fees. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library branch.
New in Anton Chico? 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 Anton Chico cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $54. Operating budget $51K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $25K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $51K 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 291 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library serves 161 people in and around Anton Chico, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Anton Chico.
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 Anton Chico
Does Anton Chico have a public library?
Yes. David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library, 1077 Nm Sr 386, serves 161 people in and around Anton Chico (the survey’s count) and is open about 30 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is David F. Cargo El Valle De Anton Chico Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Anton Chico’s library?
It logged 9.8 visits and lent 2.8 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.5 visits for libraries serving under 2,500 people.
What is Anton Chico’s civic life grade?
Anton Chico isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Anton Chico.
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.