Peer check: compare a library system with others its size
Choose a state and a library system. The table sets it beside the six systems closest to it in population and the median of its size class, on nine measures from the FY 2024 Public Libraries Survey. All 8,561 profiled systems are included, not only those with a profile page.
Denver Public Library and the six systems nearest in population nationwide
In this group of 7, District of Columbia Public Library records the most visits per resident and Denver Public Library the highest spending per resident.
| System | Residents | Visits per resident | Checkouts per resident | Spending per resident | Print volumes per resident | Program visits per 1,000 | Computers per 10,000 | Open hours per outlet a week | Staff per 10,000 | Local share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Public Library Denver, CO | 715,636 | 3.57 | 5.86 | $127.68 | 3.71 | 298.9 | 9.9 | – | 9.0 | 96% |
| Nashville Public Library Nashville, TN | 712,334 | 3.87 | 4.64 | $75.07 | 1.56 | 466.1 | 13.0 | 46.5 | 6.0 | 96% |
| Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library Stockton, CA | 724,916 | 0.90 | 1.32 | $21.24 | 0.49 | 136.4 | 2.8 | 33.5 | 1.3 | 99% |
| Montgomery County Memorial Library System Conroe, TX | 705,126 | 1.12 | 3.44 | $16.91 | 0.81 | 110.8 | 2.6 | 53.2 | 2.2 | 99% |
| District of Columbia Public Library Washington, DC | 702,250 | 4.81 | 5.46 | $121.10 | 1.56 | 378.3 | 14.2 | 54.9 | 8.8 | 96% |
| Tulsa City-County Library System Tulsa, OK | 682,868 | 2.72 | 8.14 | $48.73 | 1.29 | 529.5 | 8.9 | 51.0 | 4.9 | 90% |
| El Paso Public Library El Paso, TX | 678,958 | 1.05 | 1.50 | $15.67 | 1.04 | 137.0 | 4.9 | 48.1 | 2.5 | 97% |
| Size-class median 500,000 to 999,999 | – | 2.19 | 3.86 | $47.86 | 1.24 | 183.1 | 6.3 | 46.5 | 4.1 | 94% |
Position among the 61 systems serving 500,000 to 999,999 residents
- Visits per resident 84th percentile
- Checkouts per resident 71st percentile
- Spending per resident 98th percentile
- Print volumes per resident 94th percentile
- Program visits per 1,000 75th percentile
- Computers per 10,000 88th percentile
- Staff per 10,000 96th percentile
- Local share of revenue 61st percentile
How to use it
Pick the state first; the second list then holds every profiled system in that state, by name with its headquarters town. "Nationwide" finds the six systems anywhere in the country whose service population is closest; "same state" keeps the comparison inside one state, where funding rules and reporting periods match. The address bar keeps your choice, so a comparison can be bookmarked or shared.
Denver Public Library is shown until you choose: it serves 715,636 residents and sits in the 500,000 to 999,999 size class.
What the numbers mean
"Residents" is the population of the library's legal service area as reported by its state. Checkouts are physical items lent, renewals included. Spending is total operating expenditure in nominal dollars. Program visits count attendance at live sessions. Open hours add up all outlets, bookmobiles included, and divide by outlets and by 52 weeks. A percentile of 80 means the system's value is higher than 80% of the systems in its size class.
A dash means the library did not report that item or IMLS estimated it; estimated values are not shown. The comparison describes; it does not grade a library. Survey notes