Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0Crossett’s library is a branch of Ashley County Library, which lends less per resident than 88% of systems its size
Crossett’s library is the Crossett Public Library, a branch of Ashley County Library, which serves 18,262 people and lent 37K items last year.
Crossett’s library, in brief
The Ashley County Library system is used less than most libraries its size
The Ashley County Library system records 0.9 visits per resident, against a typical 3.1 for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people. Borrowing is 1.2 print items per resident, against a typical 3.9. How it compares ↓
43% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 43% of loans. That’s partly because print borrowing is low: digital loans per resident are below typical too. 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; Crossett’s library is a branch of Ashley County Library, so they cover the whole system (18,262 people), not just the Crossett branch.
What’s behind Crossett’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Crossett is ahead of 28% of U.S. towns, #77 of 114 in Arkansas. Crossett is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Crossett’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($34K–$56K) 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 →
16 community nonprofits are registered in Crossett
3.5 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: human services.
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 (8 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
6.0%
6.0% of Crossett’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 7.2% in the typical Arkansas 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 Crossett’s residents live; 2022.
43% of borrowing is digital
37K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
16,116 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Ashley County Library serves 18,262 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 8 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Ashley County Library system. The library’s own count.
What kids borrow
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Find it
Crossett Public Library, 1700 Main Street, Crossett.
E-books and audiobooks from home. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Ashley County Library branch.
New in Crossett? 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 Crossett cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $589K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $584K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $589K 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 5,067 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossett | Crossett Public Library | — | 46 | C |
| West Crossett | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| North Crossett | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Crossett Public Library is one branch of Ashley County Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 18,262 people it serves.
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 Crossett
Does Crossett have a public library?
Yes: Crossett Public Library, 1700 Main Street, is a branch of Ashley County Library, which serves 18,262 people. The branch is open about 46 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Ashley 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 Crossett’s library?
It logged 0.9 visits and lent 2.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Crossett’s civic life grade?
C Crossett is ahead of 28% of U.S. towns on civic life, #77 of 114 in Arkansas. 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 Crossett.
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.