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Hudson Falls Historic District, July, 2014Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hudson Falls Free Library Association

Hudson Falls’ library logs 0.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size

Hudson Falls Free Library Association serves 15,658 people in and around Hudson Falls. Last year it lent 21K books, movies and e-books and logged 9,421 visits.

220 Main Street, Hudson Falls 12839 · about 40 hours a week
ACivic lifeAhead of 87% of U.S. towns · #89 of 751 in New York. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Borrowed a year
21K
1.4 per resident
Visits a year
9,421
0.6 per resident · Below typical (3.1)
Programs & events
240
about 5 a week · 1,940 attended
Cardholders
23%
3,645 cards
Open
40 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Hudson Falls’s library, in brief

Hudson Falls Free Library Association is used less than most libraries its size

Hudson Falls Free Library Association records 0.6 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 0.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. It also spends less than most: $9 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓

Most programs are for young children

68% of the 240 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 1.1 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓

Runs on less money than most

Hudson Falls Free Library Association spends $9 per resident, less than 97% of similar-size libraries (typical: $43). 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; Hudson Falls Free Library Association serves 15,658 people in and around Hudson Falls, and its numbers cover all of them.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Hudson Falls’ civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Hudson Falls is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #89 of 751 in New York. Hudson Falls is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups ranks highest.

A
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Hudson Falls’ overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 87%
FewerMore
New York towns we grade (751)Ahead of 88%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $47K–$79K (8,255)Ahead of 85%

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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. Hudson Falls is small (7,333 residents), so a few dozen organizations or visits move its per-resident figures; the volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

38 community nonprofits are registered in Hudson Falls

5.1 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture50.68 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation20.27 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans81.08 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services91.22 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education50.62 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health30.41 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals10.14 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other50.68 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (6 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.

Volunteering

10.4%

10.4% of Hudson Falls’ 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 Hudson Falls’ residents live; 2022.

How it compares

Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 0.6 visits · typical 3.1Bottom 10%
Borrowing per resident 0.8 print items · typical 3.9Bottom 10%
Digital borrowing 0.5 e-items · typical 1.1Lower than 74%
Kids’ borrowing 0.2 kids’ items · typical 1.8Bottom 10%
Program attendance 0.1 attendees · typical 0.4Lower than 88%
Programs offered 15.3 per 1,000 residents · typical 24Lower than 70%
Cardholders 23% of residents · typical 40%Lower than 81%
Spending $9 per resident · typical $43Bottom 10%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Hudson Falls Free Library Association serves 15,658 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 10 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Hudson Falls Free Library Association system. The library’s own count.

9,421
visits
0.6 per resident
21K
loans, print + digital
1.4 per resident
240
programs & events
1,940 attended
3,645
library cards
23% of people served
Every open hour10items borrowed
Every week37people at a program
Every day3Wi-Fi sessions
2 staff (full-time equivalent)1 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

21K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

21Kloans
Books & media (adults) 43%Kids’ books & media 18%E-books, audio & streaming 39%
From your couch

8,418 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

Kids & programs

About 3 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Hudson Falls →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–558
Ages 6–11105
Teens21
Adults56
All ages0
Little ones
1.1

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

3,817
kids’ books & media borrowed
1,940
people at programs
240
programs
The building

Find it

Hudson Falls Free Library, 220 Main Street, Hudson Falls.

40
hours open a week
3,850
square feet
With a card

No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Hudson Falls Free Library Association branch.

New in Hudson Falls? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.50 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hudson Falls cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
0
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$204
a year at retail prices · $17 a month

Who pays for it
$9 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $140K.

Local taxes 78%State 3%Gifts & other 19%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $351K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $140K 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 3,645 cardholders ÷ 12.

Next door

Libraries next door

Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.

12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHoursCivic life
Fort EdwardFort Edward Free Library fine-free1.330B
Hudson FallsHudson Falls Free Library fine-free—40A
KingsburyHudson Falls Free Library fine-free—40C
MoreauNone of its own——B−
QueensburyNone of its own——B

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).

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Hudson Falls Free Library Association serves 15,658 people in and around Hudson Falls, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Hudson Falls.

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 Hudson Falls

Does Hudson Falls have a public library?

Yes. Hudson Falls Free Library Association, 220 Main Street, serves 15,658 people in and around Hudson Falls (the survey’s count) and is open about 40 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Hudson Falls Free Library Association 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 Hudson Falls’ library?

It logged 0.6 visits and lent 1.4 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.

What is Hudson Falls’ civic life grade?

A Hudson Falls is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on civic life, #89 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 Hudson Falls.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.