Barden Cobblestone Farmhouse · Photo: Araucana · CC BY-SA 4.0Benton has no public library of its own; the nearest is Penn Yan Public Library in Penn Yan, 4 miles away
Benton doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Penn Yan Public Library in Penn Yan, 4 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
A−Civic lifeAhead of 76% of U.S. towns · #158 of 751 in New York. Nonprofits and volunteering.Getting a library card from Benton
Benton borrows from the libraries next door
Benton has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Penn Yan Public Library in Penn Yan (4 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Benton isn’t the only town nearby without one
Torrey, Seneca and Varick don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Milo (Penn Yan Public Library), Potter (Mabel D. Blodgett Memorial Library) and Jerusalem (Modeste Bedient Memorial Library) do. Libraries next door ↓
Most nearby libraries are fine-free
Three of the four closest libraries don’t charge late fines. Nearest libraries ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Distances are straight-line from the town center.
What’s behind Benton’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Benton is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #158 of 751 in New York. Benton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Benton’s count of community nonprofits ranks highest.
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 →
15 community nonprofits are registered in Benton
5.0 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (3 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
8.6%
8.6% of Benton’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.4% in the typical New York 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 Benton’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 4 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Benton. Each one’s hours, and whether it charges late fines.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potter | Mabel D. Blodgett Memorial Library fine-free | 5.1 | 20 | B− |
| Milo | Penn Yan Public Library fine-free | — | 60 | A− |
| Jerusalem | Modeste Bedient Memorial Library fine-free | — | 28 | B+ |
| Penn Yan | Penn Yan Public Library fine-free | — | 60 | A− |
| Torrey | None of its own | — | — | A |
| Seneca | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Varick | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Romulus | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Geneva | None of its own | — | — | 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 Benton
Does Benton have a public library?
No. The closest is Penn Yan Public Library in Penn Yan, 4 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Benton’s civic life grade?
A− Benton is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on civic life, #158 of 751 in New York. 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 Benton.
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.