Photo: NathanL07 · CC BY-SA 4.0Cynthiana’s library is a branch of Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library, which lends less per resident than 64% of systems its size
Cynthiana’s library is the Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library, a branch of Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library, which serves 19,415 people and lent 75K items last year.
The short version on Cynthiana’s library
Programs lean toward adults
54% of the 364 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 115 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
72% of the people it serves carry a library card
14,032 cards for 19,415 people, or 72%. At the typical library serving 10,000 to 25,000 people, it’s 40%. How it compares ↓
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; Cynthiana’s library is a branch of Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library, so they cover the whole system (19,415 people), not just the Cynthiana branch.
What’s behind Cynthiana’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Cynthiana is ahead of 18% of U.S. towns, #93 of 126 in Kentucky. Cynthiana is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; Cynthiana’s count of community nonprofits comes closest to the middle.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($41K–$68K) 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 →
19 community nonprofits are registered in Cynthiana
2.9 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
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 (7 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
5.9%
5.9% of Cynthiana’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.6% in the typical Kentucky 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 Cynthiana’s residents live; 2022.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 1 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people across the U.S.
Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library serves 19,415 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 21 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Mostly books and media off the shelf
75K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
19,623 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 2 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.
Find it
Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library, 104 North Main Street, Cynthiana.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library branch.
New in Cynthiana? The Handbook →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 $1.82 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Cynthiana cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $43. Operating budget $704K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $1.3M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $704K 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 14,032 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library is one branch of Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 19,415 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 Cynthiana
Does Cynthiana have a public library?
Yes: Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library, 104 North Main Street, is a branch of Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library, which serves 19,415 people. The branch is open about 57 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library Public Library fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Cynthiana’s library?
It logged 1.5 visits and lent 3.9 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 3.1 visits for libraries serving 10,000 to 25,000 people.
What is Cynthiana’s civic life grade?
C− Cynthiana is ahead of 18% of U.S. towns on civic life, #93 of 126 in Kentucky. 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 Cynthiana.
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.