Friday, May 27, 2011

Top 10 Most Well-Read Cities in US

Amazon released its list of the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities in America, which was compiled from data for book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since January 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents. Amazon's Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities are:

1. Cambridge, MA
2. Alexandria, VA
3. Berkeley, CA
4. Ann Arbor, MI
5. Boulder, CO
6. Miami, FL
8 Salt Lake City, UT
9. Gainesville, FL
10. Seattle, WA
11. Arlington, VA
12. Knoxville, TN
13. Orlando, FL
14. Pittsburgh, PA
15. Washington, D.C.
16. Bellevue, WA
17. Columbia, SC
18. St. Louis, MO
19. Cincinnati, OH
20. Portland, OR
21. Atlanta, GA


Cambridge topped the list of cities that ordered the most nonfiction books; Boulder ordered the most books in the Cooking, Food & Wine category; and Alexandria bought the most children's books.

Read Macy Halford's Article in the New Yorker about this list. 

4 comments:

kathy d. said...

I am absolutely stunned that New York City isn't in the running here for most reading. At least in the top ten cities.

Everyone I know reads who lives here.

Maybe it's all the great restaurants, movie theaters, Broadway, clubs, bars that are pulling people away from books.

Wonder what the reasons are.

Gram said...

I think library stats should also be included for each city. Dee

J F Norris said...

No surprise about the absence of Chicago. When we lost all but one of the twelve Borders stores here I knew we were sunk as a book buying, book loving city. It's all eReaders out here. I can't get on the CTA trains without bumping elbows with some Kindle immersed commuter.

Liz Marr said...

I have to agree with Gram. About half of my reading material comes from the local library. Also, there are many people out there who have limited incomes who primarily use their libraries.