Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Stamford’s library runs 3.1 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Stamford Carnegie Library serves Stamford’s 2,903 residents. Last year it lent 3,088 books, movies and e-books and logged 6,379 visits.
Stamford’s library, in brief
Nearly everyone in Stamford has a card
2,857 cards for 2,903 people, or 98%. At the typical library serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, it’s 42%. How it compares ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
Stamford Carnegie Library lends 1.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, fewer than 89% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. 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.
What’s behind Stamford’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Stamford is ahead of 33% of U.S. towns, #221 of 539 in Texas. Stamford’s count of community nonprofits holds the grade up; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups pulls it down.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($35K–$59K) 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 →
21 community nonprofits are registered in Stamford
7.2 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 (5 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
3.3%
3.3% of Stamford’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 Stamford’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Stamford Carnegie Library serves 2,903 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. The library’s own count.
More than half the print loans are kids’ books
3,088 loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
Each of the 7,724 books and other items on the shelves went out about 0.4 time last year, on average.
9 programs a year
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
children’s books and media borrowed per child under 18 in Stamford last year.
Find it
Stamford Carnegie Library, 600 E Mcharg St., Stamford.
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 Stamford cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $86K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $56K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $86K 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 2,857 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 Stamford
Does Stamford have a public library?
Yes. Stamford Carnegie Library, 600 E Mcharg St., serves Stamford’s 2,903 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 28 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Stamford Carnegie Library fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Stamford’s library?
It logged 2.2 visits and lent 1.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Stamford’s civic life grade?
C Stamford is ahead of 33% of U.S. towns on civic life, #221 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 Stamford.
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.