Photo: Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0Canton’s library runs 29 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9 for libraries its size
Stark County District Library serves 241,356 people in and around Canton from 4 locations. Last year it lent 2.4M books, movies and e-books and logged 664K visits.
The short version on Canton’s library
Three times the programs of a typical library its size
Stark County District Library ran 6,902 programs last year, about 133 a week. That’s 29 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 111,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Ohio pays a big share
40% of the budget comes from the state, and 54% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
Most programs are for young children
70% of the 6,902 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 51 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Four branches in Canton
Canton has four branches of the Stark County District Library, which serves 241,356 people in and around Canton. One card works at all of them. The buildings ↓
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; Stark County District Library serves 241,356 people in and around Canton, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Canton’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Canton is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #231 of 914 in Ohio. Canton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; Canton’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 →
362 community nonprofits are registered in Canton
5.2 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 (104 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town. 7 more name a national or statewide reach and are left out.
8.7%
8.7% of Canton’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 Canton’s residents live; 2022.
About 93 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 7 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Stark County District Library serves 241,356 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
A year at Stark County District Library
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Stark County District Library system. The library’s own count.
Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey fills a missing figure with its own estimate; we leave estimates out rather than show them as the library’s count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
2.4M loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
779,085 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
4 places to borrow in Canton
Stark County District Library, 715 Market Ave North, Canton.
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 Stark County District Library branch.
New in Canton? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Other Stark County District Library branches in Canton
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.26 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Canton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $17M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $38M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $17M 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 91,279 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | Stark County District Library fine-free | — | 58 | A− |
| Canton Township | Southgate Branch Library fine-free | — | 54 | C |
| Plain Township | North Canton Public Library | — | 47 | B |
| Osnaburg Township | East Canton Branch Library fine-free | — | 54 | A− |
| Jackson Township | Jackson Community Branch Library fine-free | — | 58 | B |
| North Canton | North Canton Public Library | — | 47 | B+ |
| East Canton | East Canton Branch Library fine-free | — | 54 | A− |
| Perry Township | Perry Sippo fine-free | — | 61 | C+ |
| Nimishillen Township | None of its own | — | — | B |
| Reedurban | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| Meyers Lake | 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.
- Not reported for 2024: hours open. The survey filled the figure with its own estimate, so it is left out.
- System-wide. Stark County District Library serves 241,356 people in and around Canton, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Canton.
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 Canton
Does Canton have a public library?
Yes. Stark County District Library, 715 Market Ave North, serves 241,356 people in and around Canton (the survey’s count) and is open about 58 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Stark County District 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 Canton’s library?
It logged 2.8 visits and lent 10.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Canton’s civic life grade?
A− Canton is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on civic life, #231 of 914 in Ohio. 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 Canton.
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.