Longstreet Press Analyzes Per Capita Book Sales at Bookstores

Posted on September 25, 1998

Longstreet researched per capita book sales at bookstores in cities throughout America to determine which cities read (or at least purchased) the most books for their size and which ones read the fewest books. The raw data used in the rankings came from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the American Booksellers Association.

Based on analyzing all U.S. cities, the Top Ten best read populations are in:

1. College Station, Texas
2. Lawrence, Kansas
3. Bloomington, Illinois
4. Ann Arbor, Michigan
5. Lafayette, Louisiana
6. Tallahassee, Florida
7. Lansing, Michigan
8. San Jose, California
9. Wichita, Kansas
10. Iowa City, Iowa

For major markets, the five best read big cities are:

1. New York City
2. Boston, Massachusetts
3. Los Angeles, California
4. San Francisco, California
5. Washington, D.C.

The ten cities that read the fewest books according to the study are:

1. Anniston, Alabama
2. San Angelo, Texas
3. Athens, Georgia
4. Jamestown, New York
5. Brazoria, Texas
6. Rochester, Minnesota
7. Elkhart, Indiana
8. Decatur, Illinois
9. Joplin, Missouri
10. Topeka, Kansas

Among major cities, the that read the fewest books according to the study are:

1. Dallas, Texas
2. Chicago, Illinois
3. Seattle, Washington