Photo: Joegrimes at English Wikipedia · Public domainClay has no public library of its own; the nearest is Nopl @ Cicero in Cicero, 3.4 miles away
Clay doesn’t have a public library of its own. The closest is Nopl @ Cicero in Cicero, 3.4 miles away. Many small-town libraries give cards to neighbors, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
C−Civic lifeAhead of 17% of U.S. towns · #651 of 751 in New York. Nonprofits and volunteering.Libraries for Clay, in brief
Clay borrows from the libraries next door
Clay has no public library of its own, but four libraries are within 10 miles, the closest being Nopl @ Cicero in Cicero (3.4 miles). Many small-town libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead. Nearest libraries ↓
Clay isn’t the only town nearby without one
Sand Ridge and Radisson don’t have a public library of their own either. Among the towns next door, Schroeppel (Phoenix Public Library), Lysander (Baldwinsville Public Library) and Hastings (Central Square Library) do. Libraries next door ↓
The closest isn’t the one open longest
Nopl @ Cicero is nearest, open about 50 hours a week. Liverpool Public Library, 5.3 miles away, is open about 65 hours a week, so it may be easier to fit in. Nearest libraries ↓
The nearby libraries are all fine-free
None of the four closest libraries charges 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 Clay’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Clay is ahead of 17% of U.S. towns, #651 of 751 in New York. Clay 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.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($68K–$113K) 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 →
138 community nonprofits are registered in Clay
2.3 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 (32 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 6 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
6.5%
6.5% of Clay’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 Clay’s residents live; 2022.
The closest is 3.4 miles away
Closest first, measured from the center of Clay. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hastings | Central Square Library fine-free | 12.0 | 38 | C− |
| Schroeppel | Phoenix Public Library fine-free | 9.6 | 38 | C− |
| Cicero | Nopl @ Cicero fine-free | 7.5 | 50 | C |
| Brewerton | Nopl @ Brewerton fine-free | 7.5 | 51 | — graded as part of its town |
| Salina | Salina Free Library fine-free | 5.9 | 49 | C− |
| Lysander | Baldwinsville Public Library fine-free | — | 59 | C+ |
| Sand Ridge | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
| Radisson | None of its own | — | — | — graded as part of its town |
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 Clay
Does Clay have a public library?
No. The closest is Nopl @ Cicero in Cicero, 3.4 miles from the town center. Many libraries give cards to people from neighboring towns, sometimes for a yearly fee, so call ahead.
What is Clay’s civic life grade?
C− Clay is ahead of 17% of U.S. towns on civic life, #651 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 Clay.
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.