Forsyth’s library lends 13 print items per resident, against a typical 3.8 for libraries its size
Forsyth Public Library serves Forsyth’s 3,734 residents. Last year it lent 48K print books and media and logged 33K visits.
Forsyth’s library, in brief
Forsyth uses its library more than almost any town its size
Forsyth Public Library logs 8.8 visits per resident, against a typical 3 for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people, and lends 13 print items per resident against a typical 3.8. On both counts it beats 91% of similar-size libraries across the U.S. How it compares ↓
Top 10% in Illinois for library use
Forsyth ranks #16 of 260 Illinois towns with a library of their own for visits per resident. That’s 8.8 visits per resident, more than at 91% of similar-size libraries nationwide. How it compares ↓
Most programs are for young children
74% of the 202 programs last year were for ages 11 and under, including about 2.9 a week for ages 0–5. Kids & programs ↓
Forsyth invests in its library
Forsyth Public Library spends $116 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (98%) comes from local taxes. What your card is worth ↓
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 Forsyth’s civic life grade
On library visits, community nonprofits and volunteering, Forsyth is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #65 of 754 in Illinois. Library visits hold the grade up; Forsyth’s count of community nonprofits pulls it down.
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 →
13 community nonprofits are registered in Forsyth
3.7 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: youth, sports & recreation.
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 (1 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
12.2%
12.2% of Forsyth’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 8.1% in the typical Illinois 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 Forsyth’s residents live; 2022.
Books and media off the shelf
48K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Forsyth’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Each of the 45K books and other items on the shelves went out about 1 time last year, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Forsyth Public Library serves 3,734 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 17 items go out
Fiscal year 2024. The library’s own count.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
Forsyth Public Library, 268 South Elwood Street, Forsyth.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $2.08 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Forsyth cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $432K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $897K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $432K budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
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 972 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forsyth | Forsyth Public Library fine-free | 12.7 | 55 | A |
| Decatur | Decatur Public Library fine-free | 3.1 | 59 | C− |
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.
- Digital loans not reported. Illinois libraries often don’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
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 Forsyth
Does Forsyth have a public library?
Yes. Forsyth Public Library, 268 South Elwood Street, serves Forsyth’s 3,734 residents (the survey’s count) and is open about 55 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Forsyth Public Library fine-free?
Yes, no late fees (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Forsyth’s library?
It logged 8.8 visits and lent 12.7 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Forsyth’s civic life grade?
A Forsyth is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on civic life, #65 of 754 in Illinois. 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 Forsyth.
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.