Photo: Nyttend · Public domainSt. Paris’ library runs 122 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
St. Paris Public Library serves 5,617 people in and around St. Paris. Last year it lent 70K books, movies and e-books and drew 25K people to its programs.
St. Paris’s library, in brief
Ohio pays a big share
71% of the budget comes from the state, and 24% from local taxes. Nationally, most library money is local. What your card is worth ↓
More than half the print loans are for kids
Children’s books and media are 60% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 96% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓
Four times the programs of a typical library its size
St. Paris Public Library ran 688 programs last year, about 13 a week. That’s 122 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 25,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Nearly everyone the system serves has a card
5,271 cards for 5,617 people, or 94%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
A well-funded system
St. Paris Public Library spends $105 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. 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; St. Paris Public Library serves 5,617 people in and around St. Paris, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind St. Paris’ civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, St. Paris is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. St. Paris 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.
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 →
12 community nonprofits are registered in St. Paris
5.3 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.
11.5%
11.5% of St. Paris’ 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 St. Paris’ residents live; 2022.
688 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 7 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
St. Paris Public Library serves 5,617 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 18 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole St. Paris Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Visits aren’t shown: this year’s report counted only 0 visits against 70K loans, so we leave the count out.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
70K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
8,966 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
St. Paris Public Library, 127 E. Main St., St. Paris.
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 St. Paris Public Library branch.
New in St. Paris? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.11 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average St. Paris cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $591K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.2M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $591K 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 5,271 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. St. Paris Public Library serves 5,617 people in and around St. Paris, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just St. Paris.
- Visits left out. This year’s visit count is far below what the library lends, so we leave it out.
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 St. Paris
Does St. Paris have a public library?
Yes. St. Paris Public Library, 127 E. Main St., serves 5,617 people in and around St. Paris (the survey’s count) and is open about 52 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is St. Paris 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 St. Paris’ library?
It lent 12.5 items per resident in 2024 (print and digital) and ran 688 programs that drew 24,943 people. Visits weren’t reported for 2024.
What is St. Paris’ civic life grade?
A St. Paris is ahead of 91% 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 St. Paris.
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.