Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Lexington’s library runs 184 programs per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34 for libraries its size
Lexington Public Library District serves 2,889 people in and around Lexington. Last year it lent 13K print books and media and logged 8,519 visits.
Lexington’s library, in brief
Five times the programs of a typical library its size
Lexington Public Library District ran 533 programs last year, about 10 a week. That’s 184 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 34. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
56% of the 533 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 170 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
A well-funded system
Lexington Public Library District spends $91 per resident a year, about twice the typical $43 for a library its size. Almost all of it (90%) 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; Lexington Public Library District serves 2,889 people in and around Lexington, and its numbers cover all of them.
What’s behind Lexington’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Lexington is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Lexington is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups ranks highest.
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 →
10 community nonprofits are registered in Lexington
4.7 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 (5 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
11.6%
11.6% of Lexington’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 Lexington’s residents live; 2022.
About 3 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 4 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people across the U.S.
Lexington Public Library District serves 2,889 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 5 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Lexington Public Library District system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
13K 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 Lexington’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Find it
Lexington Public Library District, 207 South Cedar Street, Lexington.
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 Lexington cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $264K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $260K worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $264K 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 981 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | Lexington Public Library District | — | 48 | A |
| Lexington Township | Lexington Public Library District | — | 48 | — graded with its twin city |
| Money Creek Township | None of its own | — | — | A |
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.
- System-wide. Lexington Public Library District serves 2,889 people in and around Lexington, so the yearly numbers cover all of them, not just Lexington.
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 Lexington
Does Lexington have a public library?
Yes. Lexington Public Library District, 207 South Cedar Street, serves 2,889 people in and around Lexington (the survey’s count) and is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Lexington Public Library District fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Lexington’s library?
It logged 2.9 visits and lent 4.6 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3 visits for libraries serving 2,500 to 10,000 people.
What is Lexington’s civic life grade?
A Lexington is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on civic life. 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 Lexington.
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.