Public library systems in Indiana
The 235 profiled public library systems in Indiana served 6.5 million residents in FY 2024 and logged 3.39 visits and 5.95 physical checkouts per resident, which ranks 16th and 12th among the 50 states and DC. Operating spending came to $67.05 per resident (10th nationally). Local government supplied 86% of operating revenue, against 85% for all profiled systems nationwide, and the state government 5%.
The largest system is Indianapolis Public Library, serving 963,251 residents; 12 systems serve 100,000 or more. At the end of the year, 60% of the state's profiled systems charged no overdue fines on print items. The most common legal form is the library district (235 systems).
Visits per resident, system by system
Each dot is one Indiana system, grouped by the size of the population it serves; darker dots have their own profile page. The gold tick marks the national median for that size class.
The 20 largest systems
| System | City | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Public Library | Indianapolis | 963,251 | 2.47 | 5.73 | $62.55 |
| Allen County Public Library | Fort Wayne | 385,410 | 4.44 | 8.37 | $95.43 |
| Lake County Public Library | Merrillville | 251,041 | 2.74 | 6.13 | $51.60 |
| Hamilton East Public Library | Noblesville | 180,617 | 2.90 | 9.20 | $58.97 |
| Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library | Evansville | 180,136 | 3.82 | 4.96 | $85.94 |
| St. Joseph County Public Library | South Bend | 170,799 | 4.79 | 7.86 | $107.03 |
| Porter County Public Library System | Valparaiso | 152,580 | 2.87 | 5.06 | $43.74 |
| Tippecanoe County Public Library | Lafayette | 141,306 | 1.68 | 7.64 | $38.46 |
| Monroe County Public Library | Bloomington | 139,718 | 4.09 | 9.57 | $80.95 |
| Johnson County Public Library | Franklin | 124,056 | 3.30 | 7.77 | $61.01 |
| Willard Library of Evansville | Evansville | 117,298 | 0.53 | 1.47 | $12.12 |
| Vigo County Public Library | Terre Haute | 106,153 | 2.70 | 2.58 | $85.03 |
| Carmel Clay Public Library | Carmel | 99,093 | 5.90 | 15.59 | $87.29 |
| Elkhart Public Library | Elkhart | 97,605 | 2.53 | 3.17 | $86.57 |
| Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library | Mishawaka | 93,095 | 2.15 | 6.31 | $59.18 |
| Bartholomew County Public Library | Columbus | 81,845 | 2.87 | 6.06 | $66.70 |
| New Albany-Floyd County Public Library | New Albany | 80,484 | 2.37 | 3.00 | $45.24 |
| Hammond Public Library | Hammond | 77,879 | 1.92 | 1.31 | $56.85 |
| Kokomo-Howard County Public Library | Kokomo | 77,304 | 4.43 | 6.28 | $88.30 |
| Anderson Public Library | Anderson | 69,817 | 3.78 | 4.63 | $79.18 |
Highest rates among systems serving 5,000 or more
Of the state's profiled systems, 157 serve at least 5,000 residents.
Visits per resident
- Peabody Public Library · 19.26
- Adams Public Library System · 17.91
- North Manchester Public Library · 15.56
- Greentown & Eastern Howard School Public Library · 13.93
- Delphi Public Library · 11.48
Checkouts per resident
- Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library · 20.56
- Adams Public Library System · 16.45
- Carmel Clay Public Library · 15.59
- Bremen Public Library · 12.63
- North Webster Community Public Library · 12.52
Spending per resident
- East Chicago Public Library · $158.59
- Nappanee Public Library · $156.57
- Westchester Public Library · $153.93
- Fremont Public Library · $150.78
- Spencer County Public Library · $146.43
Revenue mix
Combined operating revenue of $506 million across the 235 systems that reported every revenue source.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other