Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Benton’s library logs 1.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries its size
West Polk Public Library serves 11,100 people in and around Benton. Last year it lent 18K books, movies and e-books and logged 12K visits.
The short version on Benton’s library
West Polk Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
West Polk Public Library records 1.1 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 0.8 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. It also spends less than most: $6 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
West Polk Public Library offered 72 programs last year, 6.5 per 1,000 residents against a typical 24. Kids & programs ↓
Most of Benton’s borrowing is digital
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 51% of loans. That’s partly because print borrowing is low: digital loans per resident are below typical too. What people borrow ↓
Most programs are for young children
75% of the 72 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 20 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 19% of the people West Polk Public Library serves have a library card, against a typical 40% for its size. How it compares ↓
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 Benton’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Benton is ahead of 14% of U.S. towns. Benton is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Benton’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
West Polk Public Library spends $6 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($22K–$37K) 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 →
5 community nonprofits are registered in Benton
3.3 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
4.3%
4.3% of Benton’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.7% in the typical Tennessee 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’s residents live; 2022.
51% of borrowing is digital
18K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 8,976 books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
9,063 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
West Polk Public Library serves 11,100 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 1 kids’ program 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.
Find it
West Polk Public Library, 126 Polk Street, Benton.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Benton? 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 $4.37 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Benton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $68K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $296K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $68K 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 2,094 cardholders ÷ 12.
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 Benton
Does Benton have a public library?
Yes. West Polk Public Library, 126 Polk Street, serves 11,100 people in and around Benton (the survey’s count) and is open about 45 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West Polk 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 Benton’s library?
It logged 1.1 visits and lent 1.6 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Benton’s civic life grade?
D Benton is ahead of 14% 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.
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.