Photo: dok1 · CC BY 2.0Benton Township’s library is a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, which lends less per resident than 65% of systems its size
Benton Township’s library is the Western Branch, a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, which serves 27,088 people and lent 91K items last year.
The short version on Benton Township’s library
Ohio pays a big share
59% of the budget comes from the state, and 23% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Fewer visits than most libraries its size
The Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co system records 0.8 visits per resident, against a typical 2.6 for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, below 93% of similar-size libraries. Borrowing holds up better, at 2.6 print items per resident. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 389 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.6 a week for ages 0–5. 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; Benton Township’s library is a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, so they cover the whole system (27,088 people), not just the Benton Township branch.
What’s behind Benton Township’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Benton Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. Benton Township is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Benton Township’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 →
7 community nonprofits are registered in Benton Township
5.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
8.2%
8.2% of Benton Township’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.5% in the typical Ohio 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 Township’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 3 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co serves 27,088 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
91K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
19,949 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 5 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.
Find it
Western Branch, 13256 State Route 124, Piketon.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co branch.
New in Benton Township? 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 Benton Township cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $1.5M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.5M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $1.5M 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 11,215 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | Western Branch fine-free | — | 49 | A− |
| Mifflin Township | None of its own | — | — | B− |
| Pebble Township | None of its own | — | — | B+ |
| Sunfish Township | None of its own | — | — | C+ |
| Perry Township | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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. Western Branch is one branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 27,088 people it serves.
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 Township
Does Benton Township have a public library?
Yes: Western Branch, 13256 State Route 124, is a branch of Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co, which serves 27,088 people. The branch is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Garnet A. Wilson Pl of Pike Co 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 Benton Township’s library?
It logged 0.8 visits and lent 3.3 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Benton Township’s civic life grade?
A− Benton Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Township.
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.