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Fort Thomas, KentuckyPhoto: Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0
Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch · part of Campbell County Public Library District

Fort Thomas’ library is a branch of Campbell County Public Library District, which lends more per resident than 76% of systems its size

Fort Thomas’s library is the Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch, a branch of Campbell County Public Library District, which serves 93,702 people and lent 951K items last year.

1000 Highland Avenue, Fort Thomas 41075 · about 70 hours a week
C+Civic lifeAhead of 41% of U.S. towns · #61 of 126 in Kentucky. Nonprofits and volunteering.
Directions (859) 572-5033 What’s a card worth?
Borrowed a year
951K
10.1 per resident
Visits a year
375K
4 per resident · Above typical (2.6)
Programs & events
2,916
about 56 a week · 76K attended
Cardholders
41%
38,535 cards
Open
70 hrs
a week at this branch
In brief

Fort Thomas’s library, in brief

Open about 70 hours a week

The Fort Thomas branch is open about 70 hours a week, averaged over the year. The building ↓

Big on e-books and audiobooks

Digital borrowing runs 3.4 e-items per resident, against a typical 1.2, higher than at 90% of similar-size libraries. It’s 33% of all loans. What people borrow ↓

Programs draw a crowd

76,000 people came to the system’s 2,916 programs last year: 0.8 per resident, against a typical 0.3, more than at 91% of similar-size libraries. Kids & programs ↓

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; Fort Thomas’s library is a branch of Campbell County Public Library District, so they cover the whole system (93,702 people), not just the Fort Thomas branch.

Civic life grade

What’s behind Fort Thomas’ civic life grade

On community nonprofits and volunteering, Fort Thomas is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #61 of 126 in Kentucky. Fort Thomas is graded on two of the three inputs. The share of younger adults in volunteering groups holds the grade up; Fort Thomas’ count of community nonprofits pulls it down.

C+
Civic lifeA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Thomas’ overall grade.
–Library visitsServed by a county or regional system, so there is no town figureCCommunity nonprofits2.8 per 1,000 residents · KY towns 3.1 · U.S. 3.7BVolunteering8.4% of adults 25–44 · KY towns 6.6% · U.S. 7.5%
All U.S. towns we grade (17,556)Ahead of 41%
FewerMore
Kentucky towns we grade (126)Ahead of 52%
U.S. towns with similar incomes, $78K–$130K (6,503)Ahead of 43%

Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($78K–$130K) 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.

How sure. Graded on two inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The volunteering share is a 2022 estimate from Facebook users aged 25–44.

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 →

Places to belong

48 community nonprofits are registered in Fort Thomas

2.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: education.

Community nonprofits, by kind

Arts & culture30.17 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.24
Youth, sports & recreation80.47 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.52
Civic groups, clubs & veterans70.41 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.74
Human services30.17 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.59
Education130.76 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.43
Health30.17 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.16
Environment & animals50.29 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.17
Other60.35 per 1,000 · U.S. towns 0.47

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.

Volunteering

8.4%

8.4% of Fort Thomas’ 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 Fort Thomas’ residents live; 2022.

★ What stands out · Kids & programs

About 36 kids’ programs a week

Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.

Schools in Fort Thomas →

Programs last year by age group

Ages 0–51,544
Ages 6–11328
Teens247
Adults411
All ages386
Little ones
29.7

story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.

220K
kids’ books & media borrowed
76K
people at programs
2,916
programs
How it compares

Ahead of most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures

Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.

Visits per resident 4 visits · typical 2.6Higher than 76%
Borrowing per resident 6.8 print items · typical 3.7Higher than 76%
Digital borrowing 3.4 e-items · typical 1.2Top 10%
Kids’ borrowing 2.3 kids’ items · typical 1.7Higher than 64%
Program attendance 0.8 attendees · typical 0.3Top 10%
Programs offered 31.1 per 1,000 residents · typical 14Higher than 87%
Cardholders 41% of residents · typical 39%Higher than 54%
Spending $54 per resident · typical $40Higher than 67%
Fewer per residentMore per resident
Size group

Campbell County Public Library District serves 93,702 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.

A year at the library

Every hour the doors are open, about 70 items go out

Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Campbell County Public Library District system. The library’s own count.

375K
visits
4 per resident
951K
loans, print + digital
10.1 per resident
2,916
programs & events
76K attended
39K
library cards
41% of people served
Every open hour70items borrowed
Every week1,457people at a program
Every day59Wi-Fi sessions
83 staff (full-time equivalent)96 public computers
What people borrow

Mostly books and media off the shelf

951K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.

951Kloans
Books & media (adults) 44%Kids’ books & media 23%E-books, audio & streaming 33%
From your couch

316,562 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.

The building

Find it

Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch, 1000 Highland Avenue, Fort Thomas.

Directions(859) 572-5033
70
hours open a week
15,000
square feet
With a card

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 Campbell County Public Library District branch.

New in Fort Thomas? The Handbook →

Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.

What your card is worth

For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $3.02 worth

Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Fort Thomas cardholder borrows.

In a month I’d use…
Books$17 each
1
Kids’ books$12 each
0
E-books & audio$15 each
1
Movies & music$4 each
0
Programs & classes$10 a program
0
Computer & Wi-Fi$3 a session
0
Your card saves you about
$384
a year at retail prices · $32 a month

Who pays for it
$54 per resident a year

Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $5.1M.

Local taxes 93%State 1%Gifts & other 5%

Last year the library lent and hosted about $15M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $5.1M 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 38,535 cardholders ÷ 12.

Next door

Libraries next door

Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.

Newport: Newport BranchDayton: no library of its ownSouthgate: no library of its ownHighland Heights: no library of its ownBellevue: no library of its ownWoodlawn: no library of its ownNewportDaytonSouthgateHighland HeightsBellevueWoodlawnFort Thomas
12+ loans per resident8–124–8Under 4No library / shared system
TownLibraryLoans per residentHoursCivic life
Fort ThomasCarrico/Fort Thomas Branch fine-free—70C+
NewportNewport Branch fine-free—70B
DaytonNone of its own——C+
SouthgateNone of its own——D
Highland HeightsNone of its own——C+
BellevueNone of its own——C+
WoodlawnNone of its own——— under 1,000 residents

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).

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.

  • System-wide. Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch is one branch of Campbell County Public Library District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 93,702 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 Fort Thomas

Does Fort Thomas have a public library?

Yes: Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch, 1000 Highland Avenue, is a branch of Campbell County Public Library District, which serves 93,702 people. The branch is open about 70 hours a week, averaged over the year.

Is Campbell County Public Library District 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 Fort Thomas’ library?

It logged 4.0 visits and lent 10.1 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.

What is Fort Thomas’ civic life grade?

C+ Fort Thomas is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on civic life, #61 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 Fort Thomas.

Town Square →
Start a conversation

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.