Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Jonesborough’s library is a branch of Washington County Public Library, which lends less per resident than 68% of systems its size
Jonesborough’s library is the Washington County-Jonesborough Public Library, a branch of Washington County Public Library, which serves 65,083 people and lent 226K items last year.
The short version on Jonesborough’s library
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people, the Washington County Public Library system sits below the middle on all seven per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on three. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The Washington County Public Library system offered 392 programs last year, 6 per 1,000 residents against a typical 14. 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; Jonesborough’s library is a branch of Washington County Public Library, so they cover the whole system (65,083 people), not just the Jonesborough branch.
What’s behind Jonesborough’s civic life grade
On community nonprofits and volunteering, Jonesborough is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns, #102 of 150 in Tennessee. Jonesborough is graded on two of the three inputs. Both inputs sit below most U.S. towns; the share of younger adults in volunteering groups comes closest to the middle.
Washington County Public Library spends $14 per resident, against a typical $40 for libraries its size.
Most U.S. towns with similar household incomes ($56K–$93K) 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 →
14 community nonprofits are registered in Jonesborough
2.3 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 (5 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
7.1%
7.1% of Jonesborough’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 6.7% in the typical Tennessee 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 Jonesborough’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people across the U.S.
Washington County Public Library serves 65,083 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000.
Every hour the doors are open, about 41 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Washington County Public Library system. The library’s own count.
Almost half the print loans are kids’ books
226K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
72,882 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
About 5 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
Washington County-Jonesborough Public Library, 200 Sabin Drive, Jonesborough.
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 Washington County Public Library branch.
New in Jonesborough? 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 $3.69 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Jonesborough cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $40. Operating budget $926K.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $3.4M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $926K 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 22,193 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Washington County-Jonesborough Public Library is one branch of Washington County Public Library, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 65,083 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 Jonesborough
Does Jonesborough have a public library?
Yes: Washington County-Jonesborough Public Library, 200 Sabin Drive, is a branch of Washington County Public Library, which serves 65,083 people. The branch is open about 54 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Washington County 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 Jonesborough’s library?
It logged 1.4 visits and lent 3.5 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.6 visits for libraries serving 25,000 to 100,000 people.
What is Jonesborough’s civic life grade?
C− Jonesborough is ahead of 22% of U.S. towns on civic life, #102 of 150 in Tennessee. 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 Jonesborough.
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.