Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainKermit’s library lends 0.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Winkler County Library serves 7,414 people in and around Kermit. Last year it lent 6,928 books, movies and e-books and logged 15K visits.
The short version on Kermit’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, Winkler County Library sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
Winkler County Library lends 0.9 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, fewer than 91% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
Programs lean toward adults
56% of the 117 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 38 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
Almost all the borrowing is off the shelf
Only 3% of loans are e-books, audiobooks or streaming, fewer per resident than at 92% of similar-size libraries. What people borrow ↓
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; Winkler County Library serves 7,414 people in and around Kermit, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Kermit’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Kermit is ahead of 11% of U.S. towns, #386 of 539 in Texas. Kermit is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Kermit’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($61K–$101K) 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 →
18 community nonprofits are registered in Kermit
3.2 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 (6 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
3.6%
3.6% of Kermit’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.7% in the typical Texas 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 Kermit’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Winkler County Library serves 7,414 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 2 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Winkler County Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
6,928 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
185 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
117 programs a year
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.
Find it
Winkler County Library, 307 S Poplar St., Kermit.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Winkler County Library branch.
New in Kermit? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Kermit cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $307K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $129K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $307K budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 2,214 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Winkler County Library serves 7,414 people in and around Kermit, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Kermit.
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 Kermit
Does Kermit have a public library?
Yes. Winkler County Library, 307 S Poplar St., serves 7,414 people in and around Kermit (the survey’s count) and is open about 43 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Winkler County Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
It charges late fines on some overdue items, and it lends e-books and audiobooks with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Kermit’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 0.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Kermit’s civic life grade?
D Kermit is ahead of 11% of U.S. towns on civic life, #386 of 539 in Texas. 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 Kermit.
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.