Public library systems in New York
The 754 profiled public library systems in New York served 20.1 million residents in FY 2024 and logged 3.32 visits and 3.48 physical checkouts per resident, which ranks 19th and 37th among the 50 states and DC. Operating spending came to $78.13 per resident (4th nationally). Local government supplied 81% of operating revenue, against 85% for all profiled systems nationwide, and the state government 4%.
The largest system is New York Public Library, serving 3,662,652 residents; 13 systems serve 100,000 or more. At the end of the year, 78% of the state's profiled systems charged no overdue fines on print items. The most common legal form is the nonprofit association library (351 systems).
Visits per resident, system by system
Each dot is one New York 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Public Library | New York | 3,662,652 | 3.37 | 2.75 | $100.15 |
| Brooklyn Public Library | Brooklyn | 2,736,074 | 2.19 | 2.05 | $58.15 |
| Queens Borough Public Library | Jamaica | 2,405,464 | 2.71 | 2.64 | $62.46 |
| Buffalo and Erie County Public Library | Buffalo | 954,236 | 0.73 | 1.06 | $34.33 |
| Onondaga County Public Library | Syracuse | 476,516 | 1.04 | 0.68 | $27.95 |
| Yonkers Public Library | Yonkers | 211,569 | 3.33 | 1.89 | $54.04 |
| Rochester Public Library | Rochester | 211,328 | 3.99 | 3.62 | $94.91 |
| Broome County Public Library | Binghamton | 198,683 | 1.39 | 0.81 | $12.22 |
| Schenectady County Public Library | Schenectady | 158,061 | 2.56 | 3.28 | $46.44 |
| Finkelstein Memorial Library | Spring Valley | 135,449 | 1.24 | 4.34 | $63.30 |
| Amherst Public Library | Amherst | 129,595 | 2.70 | 7.59 | $17.38 |
| Smithtown Special Library District | Nesconset | 112,919 | 3.30 | 3.05 | $131.69 |
| Tompkins County Public Library | Ithaca | 105,740 | 1.68 | 5.67 | $45.73 |
| Albany Public Library | Albany | 99,224 | 5.24 | 3.66 | $84.81 |
| Greece Public Library | Greece | 96,926 | 2.04 | 4.18 | $29.54 |
| Brentwood Public Library | Brentwood | 90,116 | 4.38 | 0.84 | $96.95 |
| Cheektowaga Public Library | Cheektowaga | 89,877 | 1.65 | 4.27 | $14.45 |
| William K Sanford Town Library | Loudonville | 85,590 | 2.35 | 4.81 | $31.15 |
| Chemung County Library District | Elmira | 84,148 | 2.14 | 3.00 | $46.15 |
| Sachem Public Library | Holbrook | 81,592 | 3.50 | 5.07 | $135.69 |
Highest rates among systems serving 5,000 or more
Of the state's profiled systems, 410 serve at least 5,000 residents.
Visits per resident
- Center Moriches Free Public Library · 25.36
- Bronxville Public Library · 21.44
- Croton Free Library · 20.77
- Port Jefferson Free Library · 16.28
- Nyack Library · 15.04
Checkouts per resident
- Port Jefferson Free Library · 28.02
- Bronxville Public Library · 19.10
- East Greenbush Community Library · 17.74
- Scarsdale Public Library · 16.81
- Bethlehem Public Library · 16.51
Spending per resident
- Port Jefferson Free Library · $565.35
- Westhampton Free Library · $502.82
- Center Moriches Free Public Library · $480.05
- Jericho Public Library · $293.41
- John Jermain Memorial Library · $293.27
Revenue mix
Combined operating revenue of $1.7 billion across the 754 systems that reported every revenue source.
- Local government
- State
- Federal
- Other