South Huntington’s library runs 53 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14 for libraries its size
South Huntington Public Library serves 39,349 people in and around South Huntington. Last year it lent 259K books, movies and e-books and logged 179K visits.
The short version on South Huntington’s library
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
South Huntington Public Library ran 2,074 programs last year, about 40 a week. That’s 53 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 14. People show up: 32,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
47% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 47% of loans, more per resident than at 88% of similar-size libraries. Print still makes up 53%, much of it kids’ books. What people borrow ↓
A well-funded system
South Huntington Public Library spends $156 per resident a year, about four times the typical $40 for a library its size. Almost all of it (97%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
Open about 68 hours a week
The South Huntington branch is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year. The building ↓
Programs lean toward adults
54% of the 2,074 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 742 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
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; South Huntington Public Library serves 39,349 people in and around South Huntington, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind South Huntington’s civic life grade
South Huntington 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 14 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 6 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
South Huntington Public Library serves 39,349 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 74 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole South Huntington Public Library system. The library’s own count.
47% of borrowing is digital
259K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
120,993 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 Huntington Public Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every South Huntington Public Library branch.
New in South Huntington? 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 Huntington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $6.1M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $4.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $6.1M 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 16,618 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Huntington | South Huntington Public Library fine-free | — | 68 | — graded as part of its town |
| Melville | Melville Branch fine-free | — | 61 | — graded as part of its town |
| Dix Hills | Dix Hills fine-free | — | 65 | — graded as part of its town |
| Huntington Station | Huntington Public Library-Station Branch fine-free | — | 72 | — graded as part of its town |
| Elwood | Elwood Public Library fine-free | — | 61 | — graded as part of its town |
| West Hills | 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.
- System-wide. South Huntington Public Library serves 39,349 people in and around South Huntington, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just South Huntington.
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 Huntington
Does South Huntington have a public library?
Yes. South Huntington Public Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Road, serves 39,349 people in and around South Huntington (the survey’s count) and is open about 68 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is South Huntington 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 Huntington’s library?
It logged 4.6 visits and lent 6.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is South Huntington’s civic life grade?
South Huntington 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 South Huntington.
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.