Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Etowah’s library logs 1 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries its size
Etowah Carnegie Public Library serves 9,554 people in and around Etowah. Last year it lent 19K books, movies and e-books and logged 9,618 visits.
Etowah’s library, in brief
Etowah Carnegie Public Library is used less than most libraries its size
Etowah Carnegie Public Library records 1 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people. Borrowing is 1.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8. It also spends less than most: $11 per resident, against a typical $43. How it compares ↓
The library is a National Register landmark
Etowah Carnegie Library has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003. Today’s library there has 3,080 square feet. The building ↓
Few programs for a library this size
Etowah Carnegie Public Library offered 70 programs last year, 7.3 per 1,000 residents against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Most programs are for young children
73% of the 70 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including 0 for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Etowah Carnegie Public Library serves more than Etowah
The library’s service area covers 9,554 people in and around Etowah, so its per-resident numbers are measured against that wider population. 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 Etowah’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Etowah is ahead of 24% of U.S. towns, #98 of 150 in Tennessee. Etowah is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Etowah’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Etowah Carnegie Public Library spends $11 per resident, against a typical $43 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($29K–$49K) 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 →
12 community nonprofits are registered in Etowah
3.2 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 (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
6.1%
6.1% of Etowah’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 Etowah’s residents live; 2022.
A National Register landmark since 2003
Etowah Carnegie Library, 723 Ohio Avenue, Etowah.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy.
New in Etowah? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
Etowah Carnegie Library
Etowah Carnegie Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Mar 23, 2003. It is significant for its architecture, education, politics and social history at the local level.
More about the building →Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Etowah Carnegie Public Library serves 9,554 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 7 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
45% of borrowing is digital
19K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 18K books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.6 time last year, on average.
8,338 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
70 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.66 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Etowah cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $108K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $288K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $108K 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 3,846 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 Etowah
Does Etowah have a public library?
Yes. Etowah Carnegie Public Library, 723 Ohio Avenue, serves 9,554 people in and around Etowah (the survey’s count) and is open about 49 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Etowah Carnegie 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 Etowah’s library?
It logged 1.0 visits and lent 1.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Etowah’s civic life grade?
C− Etowah is ahead of 24% of U.S. towns on civic life, #98 of 150 in Tennessee. 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 Etowah.
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. Building history: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places; photo via Wikimedia Commons. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.