Library Statistics and Figures: The Nation's Largest Public Libraries
Introduction
This page lists the top 25 public libraries in the United States by four specific statistical measures; namely, by size of population served, by the size of the library collection, by the number of times items in the collection were checked out, and number of visits to the library.
These public library statistics come from the Public Libraries in the United States Survey of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. The Public Libraries Survey (PLS) provides statistics on the status of public libraries in the United States. The data are collected from approximately 9,000 public libraries with approximately 17,000 individual public library outlets in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and outlying territories.
Specifically, all four tables were created with the PLS Fiscal Year 2016 data.
Top 25 public libraries by size of population served with total collection expenditures
Data from Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey (PLS) Fiscal Year: 2019
For Population of the Legal Service Area, the PLS Fiscal Year 2019 Data Element Definitions state: The number of people in the geographic area for which a public library has been established to offer services and from which (or on behalf of which) the library derives revenue, plus any areas served under contract for which the library is the primary service provider.
Under Collection Expenditures: This includes all operating expenditures from the library budget for all materials in print, microform, electronic, and other formats considered part of the collection, whether purchased, leased, or licensed. Total Collection Expenditures: This is the sum of Print Materials Expenditures, Electronic Materials Expenditures, and Other Materials Expenditures.
PLEASE NOTE: In contrast to the twenty-five public libraries listed below that serve in excess of 1,000,000 people, it's important to keep in mind that these are the anomaly; nearly 80% of the public libraries in the United States serve populations under 25,000 people.
| Rank | Library Name | Population of Legal Service Area | Total Collection Expenditures | Collection Expenditures per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maricopa County Library District, AZ |
4,367,835 |
$8,103,753 |
$1.86 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Public Library, CA |
4,040,079 |
$15,296,013 |
$3.79 |
| 3 | New York Public Library, NY |
3,439,711 |
$26,789,965 |
$7.81 |
| 4 | LA County Library, CA |
3,382,355 |
$12,304,531 |
$3.64 |
| 5 | Chicago Public Library, IL |
2,695,598 |
$8,415,000 | $3.12 |
| 6 | Brooklyn Public Library, NY |
2,504,700 |
$10,408,422 |
$4.16 |
| 7 |
Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL |
2,433,825 |
$4,997,791 |
$2.05 |
| 8 | Houston Public Library, TX |
2,325,502 |
$3,483,172 |
$1.50 |
| 9 | Queens Borough Public Library |
2,230,722 |
$4,822,849 |
$2.16 |
| 10 | Harris County Public Library, TX |
2,127,996 |
$4,566,488 |
$2.15 |
| 11 | Broward County Libraries Division, FL |
1,919,644 |
$8,232,308 |
$4.29 |
| 12 | San Antonio Public Library, TX |
1,829,577 |
$5,264,795 |
$2.88 |
| 13 |
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, NV |
1,676,343 |
$10,946,015 |
$6.53 |
| 14 | Orange County Public Libraries, CA |
1,645,613 |
$5,465,047 |
$3.32 |
| 15 | Phoenix Public Library, AZ |
1,617,344 |
$5,051,045 |
$3.12 |
| 16 | Free Library of Philadelphia, PA |
1,526,006 |
$3,501,541 |
$2.29 |
| 17 | King County Library System, WA |
1,504,540 |
$13,960,740 |
$9.28 |
| 18 | Sacramento Public Library, CA |
1,466,339 |
$5,790,135 |
$3.95 |
| 19 |
Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, FL |
1,444,870 |
$5,910,039 |
$4.09 |
| 20 |
Hawaii State Public Library System, HI |
1,420,593 |
$5,025,794 |
$3.54 |
| 21 | San Diego Public Library, CA |
1,420,572 |
$2,673,589 |
$1.88 |
| 22 | Dallas Public Library, TX |
1,345,047 |
$4,424,096 |
$3.29 |
|
23 |
Riverside County Library System, CA |
1,339,695 |
$1,482,297 |
$1.11 |
| 24 | Orange County Library District |
1,334,745 |
$4,193,777 |
$3.14 |
| 25 | San Bernardino Public Library, CA |
1,284,036 |
$3,207,458 |
$2.50 |
Top 25 public libraries by holdings
Data from Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey (PLS) Fiscal Year: 2016
For Library Collection, the PLS Fiscal Year 2016 Data Element Definitions state (slightly edited): This section of the survey collects data on selected types of materials. Under this category, report only items the library has acquired as part of the collection, whether purchased, leased, licensed, or donated as gifts.
There are also specific definitions for Print Materials, Electronic Books (E-Books), Audio - physical units, and Video - physical units.
| Rank | Library Name | Print Materials | Electronic Books | Audio Materials | Video Materials | Total Collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Public Library, NY |
21,935,221 |
1,788,493 |
826,360 |
721,149 |
25,271,223 |
| 2 | Public Library of Cincinnati And Hamilton County, OH |
4,936,677 |
5,889,477 |
362,864 |
532,412 |
11,721,430 |
| 3 | Boston Public Library, MA |
7,997,591 |
95,927 |
35,220 |
68,272 |
8,197,010 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Public Library, CA |
5,922,133 |
171,493 |
251,557 |
390,378 |
6,735,561 |
| 5 | Chicago Public Library, IL |
5,451,914 |
46,195 |
263,711 |
187,431 |
5,949,251 |
| 6 | County of Los Angeles Public Library, CA |
4,734,248 |
40,403 |
301,380 |
703,812 |
5,779,843 |
| 7 | Queens Borough Public Library, NY |
4,972,997 |
85,829 |
120,658 |
491,079 |
5,670,563 |
| 8 | San Diego Public Library, CA |
4,715,696 |
96,457 |
197,095 |
263,531 |
5,272,779 |
| 9 | Dallas Public Library, TX |
4,563,199 |
68,076 |
167,061 |
357,311 |
5,155,647 |
| 10 | Hennepin County Library, MN |
4,366,003 |
253,743 |
167,667 |
107,899 |
4,895,312 |
| 11 | Dayton Metro Library, OH |
871,785 |
3,670,432 |
80,361 |
97,096 |
4,719,674 |
| 12 | Detroit Public Library, MI |
4,083,856 |
6,517 |
129,057 |
174,763 |
4,394,193 |
| 13 | King County Library System, WA |
3,091,198 |
232,684 |
336,934 |
307,056 |
3,967,872 |
| 14 | Cleveland Public Library, OH |
3,219,589 |
373,194 |
138,494 |
215,139 |
3,946,416 |
| 15 | Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH |
1,551,993 |
1,376,514 |
256,771 |
475,986 |
3,661,264 |
| 16 | Brooklyn Public Library, NY |
3,175,967 |
131,448 |
16,573 |
336,544 |
3,660,532 |
| 17 | Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL |
3,160,588 |
156,845 |
77,893 |
230,827 |
3,626,153 |
| 18 | Allen County Public Library, IN |
3,048,427 |
220,412 |
135,970 |
163,633 |
3,568,442 |
| 19 | Hawaii State Public Library System, HI |
2,967,198 |
58,452 |
209,527 |
168,400 |
3,403,577 |
| 20 | City of St. Louis Municipal Library District, MO |
2,894,428 |
222,614 |
104,498 |
59,840 |
3,281,380 |
| 21 | Broward County Libraries Division, FL |
2,408,899 |
92,815 |
278,763 |
413,868 |
3,194,345 |
| 22 | San Francisco Public Library, CA |
2,618,747 |
159,602 |
96,791 |
247,119 |
3,122,259 |
| 23 | Houston Public Library, TX |
2,597,505 |
217,319 |
153,707 |
116,102 |
3,084,633 |
| 24 | Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, NV |
2,246,053 |
109,257 |
222,112 |
463,597 |
3,041,019 |
| 25 | Atlanta Fulton Public Library System, GA |
2,619,417 |
232,772 |
62,542 |
36,683 |
2,951,414 |
Top 25 public libraries by circulation
Data from Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey (PLS) Fiscal Year: 2016
For Total Circulation, the PLS Fiscal Year 2016 Data Element Definitions state: The total annual circulation of all library materials of all types, including renewals.
| Rank | Library Name | Total Circulation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Public Library, NY |
22,665,133 |
| 2 | Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH |
21,226,498 |
| 3 | King County Library System, WA |
20,781,944 |
| 4 | Multnomah County Library, OR |
19,200,616 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Public Library, CA |
16,353,158 |
| 6 | Cuyahoga Public Library, OH |
16,234,993 |
| 7 | Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH |
16,094,874 |
| 8 | Hennepin County Library, MN |
15,768,633 |
| 9 | Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, IN |
14,635,388 |
| 10 | Brooklyn Public Library, NY |
14,592,140 |
| 11 | Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, NV |
14,162,393 |
| 12 | Saint Louis County Library, MO |
13,835,817 |
| 13 | Salt Lake County Library System, UT |
13,765,685 |
| 14 | Allen County Public Library, IN |
13,311,490 |
| 15 | Queens Borough Public Library, NY |
13,091,726 |
| 16 | Orange County Public Library District, NY |
12,096,214 |
| 17 | Fairfax County Public Library, VA |
12,042,565 |
| 18 | San Diego County Library, CA |
11,515,560 |
| 19 | Sno-Isle Libraries, WA |
11,262,339 |
| 20 | Baltimore County Public Library, MD |
11,135,985 |
| 21 | Seattle Public Library, WA |
10,842,369 |
| 22 | Dallas Public Library, TX |
10,821,568 |
| 23 | Phoenix Public Library, AZ |
10,705,901 |
| 24 | San Francisco Public Library, CA |
10,677,967 |
| 25 | Wake County Public Libraries, NC |
10,335,691 |
Top 25 public libraries by library visits
Data from Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey (PLS) Fiscal Year: 2016
For Library Visits, the PLS Fiscal Year 2016 Data Element Definitions state: This is the total number of persons entering the library for whatever purpose during the year.
| Rank | Library Name | Visits | Service Area Population | Library Visits per Capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Public Library, NY |
17,420,607 |
3,439,711 |
5.06 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Public Library, CA |
13,504,301 |
4,030,904 |
3.35 |
| 3 | Queens Borough Public Library, NY |
11,237,629 |
2,230,722 |
5.04 |
| 4 | County Of Los Angeles Public Library, CA |
10,694,275 |
3,375,417 |
3.17 |
| 5 | King County Library System, WA |
10,008,534 |
1,442,940 |
6.94 |
| 6 | Chicago Public Library, IL |
9,438,150 |
2,695,598 |
3.50 |
| 7 | Brooklyn Public Library, NY |
8,633,387 |
2,504,700 |
3.45 |
| 8 | Broward County Libraries Division, FL |
7,663,879 |
1,827,367 |
4.19 |
| 9 | San Diego Public Library, CA |
6,940,237 |
1,391,676 |
4.99 |
| 10 | San Jose Public Library, CA |
6,855,000 |
1,042,094 |
6.58 |
| 11 | Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH |
6,779,344 |
616,527 |
11.00 |
| 12 | San Francisco Public Library, CA |
6,362,573 |
866,583 |
7.34 |
| 13 | Orange County Public Libraries, CA |
6,294,288 |
1,615,125 |
3.90 |
| 14 | Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, NV |
6,242,633 |
1,579,317 |
3.95 |
| 15 | Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH |
6,176,664 |
802,374 |
7.70 |
| 16 | Free Library of Philadelphia, PA |
5,926,481 |
1,526,006 |
3.88 |
| 17 | Seattle Public Library, WA | 5,481,047 |
686,800 |
7.98 |
| 18 | Miami-Dade Public Library System |
5,462,271 |
2,290,129 |
2.39 |
| 19 | San Diego County Library, CA |
5,448,526 |
1,106,230 |
4.93 |
| 20 | Hennepin County Library, MN |
5,379,722 |
1,223,149 |
4.40 |
| 21 | Pima County Public Library, AZ |
5,370,874 |
1,013,103 |
5.30 |
| 22 | San Antonio Public Library, TX |
5,331,930 |
1,754,711 |
3.04 |
| 23 | Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH |
5,317,000 |
850,548 |
6.25 |
| 24 | Saint Louis County Library, MO |
5,124,202 |
859,148 |
5.96 |
| 25 | Montgomery County Public Libraries, MD |
4,888,572 |
1,016,677 |
4.81 |
