North Sioux City’s library runs 202 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
North Sioux City Community Library serves North Sioux City’s 3,048 residents. Last year it lent 57K books, movies and e-books and logged 15K visits.
What North Sioux City’s library is like
Six times the programs of a typical library its size
North Sioux City Community Library ran 616 programs last year, about 12 a week. That’s 202 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. People show up: 7,213 attended. Kids & programs ↓
North Sioux City is a town of borrowers
North Sioux City Community Library lends 15 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, more than 97% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
Kids borrow more here than almost anywhere
Children’s books and media are 48% of print loans, and kids’ borrowing per resident is higher than at 97% of similar-size libraries. That works out to about 45 items per child in North Sioux City last year. Kids & programs ↓
Big on e-books and audiobooks
Digital borrowing runs 3.5 e-items per resident, against a typical 1, higher than at 92% of similar-size libraries. It’s 19% of all loans. What people borrow ↓
North Sioux City invests in its library
North Sioux City Community Library spends $88 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. All of it comes from local taxes. 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.
What’s behind North Sioux City’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, North Sioux City is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #25 of 31 in South Dakota. Library visits hold the grade up; North Sioux City’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($54K–$90K) score higher, so income alone doesn’t account for it.
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 →
6 community nonprofits are registered in North Sioux City
1.8 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 (2 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
6.1%
6.1% of North Sioux City’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.9% in the typical South Dakota 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 North Sioux City’s residents live; 2022.
About 5 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in North Sioux City last year.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
North Sioux City Community Library serves 3,048 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 25 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
57K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 37K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1.2 time last year, on average.
10,698 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Find it
North Sioux City Community Library, 601 River Drive, North Sioux City.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in North Sioux City? 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 $3.41 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average North Sioux City cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $269K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $918K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $269K 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 1,649 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Sioux City | North Sioux City Community Library fine-free | 18.7 | 44 | C |
| Sioux City | Sioux City Public Library | 2.3 | 58 | C− |
| Big Sioux Township | None of its own | — | — | C |
| Dakota Dunes | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
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.
- The library’s own count. Libraries report their own visits, loans and programs. A library that didn’t respond keeps its address and hours here, with no numbers.
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 North Sioux City
Does North Sioux City have a public library?
Yes. North Sioux City Community Library, 601 River Drive, serves North Sioux City’s 3,048 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 44 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is North Sioux City Community 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 North Sioux City’s library?
It logged 5.1 visits and lent 18.7 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is North Sioux City’s civic life grade?
C North Sioux City is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on civic life, #25 of 31 in South Dakota. 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 North Sioux City.
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.