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IAIowa rankings

Towns with the most-used public libraries in Iowa

Ranked by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. 51 towns with 2,500+ residents.

IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024

Sergeant Bluff
Iowa · Most-used libraries

Where Sergeant Bluff lands: #49 of 51

1.6 per resident library visits a year · Visit Sergeant Bluff →

Coralville 1 Coralville 12.9 per resident Coralville Public Library Dyersville 2 Dyersville 11.9 per resident James Kennedy Public Library Map of Story City 3 Story City 10.6 per resident Bertha Bartlett Public Library
#TownVisits per residentLibraryVisits a year
1 Coralville Coralville23,234 people 12.9 per resident Coralville Public Library 330,078
2 Dyersville Dyersville4,423 people 11.9 per resident James Kennedy Public Library 61,030
3 Map of Story City Story City3,398 people 10.6 per resident Bertha Bartlett Public Library 38,664
4 Map of Huxley Huxley4,544 people 8.2 per resident Huxley Public Library 37,721
5 North Liberty North Liberty21,125 people 8.1 per resident North Liberty Community Library 182,817
6 Wilton Wilton2,920 people 7.7 per resident Wilton Public Library 27,830
7 Grimes Grimes16,366 people 7.1 per resident Grimes Public Library 119,488
8 Le Claire Le Claire4,735 people 7.1 per resident Le Claire Community Library 33,313
9 Map of Orange City Orange City6,426 people 7.0 per resident Orange City Public Library 47,194
10 Perry Perry7,985 people 6.9 per resident Perry Public Library 64,157
11 Map of Clarion Clarion2,770 people 6.8 per resident Clarion Public Library 23,080
12 Iowa City75,752 people 6.0 per resident Iowa City Public Library 543,468
13 Nevada Nevada6,983 people 6.0 per resident Nevada Public Library 46,007
14 Jefferson Jefferson4,152 people 5.9 per resident Jefferson Public Library 30,524
15 Map of Hudson Hudson2,699 people 5.7 per resident Hudson Public Library 18,972
16 Bettendorf Bettendorf39,647 people 5.4 per resident Bettendorf Public Library Information Center 212,719
17 Storm Lake Storm Lake11,428 people 5.3 per resident Storm Lake Public Library 65,000
18 Mason City Mason City27,050 people 5.0 per resident Mason City Public Library 144,000
19 Ankeny Ankeny72,615 people 4.9 per resident Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library 373,604
20 Ames Ames67,669 people 4.6 per resident Ames Public Library 332,355
21 Norwalk Norwalk14,183 people 4.3 per resident Norwalk Easter Public Library 73,125
22 Urbandale Urbandale46,595 people 4.2 per resident Urbandale Public Library 195,143
23 Johnston Johnston24,384 people 4.2 per resident Johnston Public Library 112,414
24 Map of Waukee Waukee29,236 people 4.1 per resident Waukee Public Library 103,797
25 Des Moines212,421 people 4.0 per resident Des Moines Public Library 887,821
26 Cedar Falls Cedar Falls40,888 people 3.9 per resident Cedar Falls Public Library 178,120
27 Pleasant Hill Pleasant Hill11,136 people 3.9 per resident Pleasant Hill Public Library 44,523
28 Carter Lake Carter Lake3,767 people 3.9 per resident Carter Lake Public Library 14,857
29 Polk City Polk City6,037 people 3.8 per resident Polk City Community Library 26,558
30 Camanche Camanche4,550 people 3.8 per resident Camanche Public Library 18,000
31 Marion Marion41,896 people 3.7 per resident Marion Public Library 179,239
32 Map of Spencer Spencer11,400 people 3.7 per resident Spencer Public Library 48,784
33 Dubuque Dubuque59,174 people 3.5 per resident Carnegie-Stout Public Library 212,681
34 Marshalltown Marshalltown27,626 people 3.3 per resident Marshalltown Public Library 110,410
35 Altoona Altoona21,495 people 3.1 per resident Altoona Public Library 76,251
36 Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids137,264 people 3.0 per resident Cedar Rapids Public Library 442,863
37 Sioux City Sioux City86,101 people 3.0 per resident Sioux City Public Library 256,879
38 Clive Clive19,012 people 3.0 per resident Clive Public Library 55,375
39 Davenport Davenport100,913 people 2.9 per resident Davenport Public Library 300,051
40 West Des Moines West Des Moines71,083 people 2.8 per resident West Des Moines Public Library 192,900
41 Map of Postville Postville2,979 people 2.6 per resident Postville Public Library 8,677
42 Map of Sheldon Sheldon5,474 people 2.3 per resident Sheldon Public Library 14,292
43 Mitchellville Mitchellville2,579 people 2.3 per resident Mitchellville Public Library 6,125
44 Mount Vernon Mount Vernon4,513 people 2.1 per resident Russell D. Cole Library 11,180
45 Waterloo Waterloo67,008 people 2.0 per resident Waterloo Public Library 136,785
46 Map of Ottumwa Ottumwa25,430 people 2.0 per resident Ottumwa Public Library 58,245
47 Keokuk Keokuk9,662 people 2.0 per resident Keokuk Public Library 22,803
48 Tama Tama3,051 people 1.9 per resident Louise & Lucile Hink/Tama Public Library 5,953
49 Sergeant Bluff Sergeant Bluff5,171 people 1.6 per resident Sergeant Bluff Public/School Library 7,787
50 Map of Evansdale Evansdale4,518 people 1.6 per resident Evansdale Public Library 7,380
51 Clinton Clinton24,322 people 1.5 per resident Clinton Public Library 40,681

How this ranking works

We rank every town by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. The highest figure ranks #1. Each library reports its own yearly numbers to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (fiscal year 2024), and each town’s Library page shows how it compares with libraries of a similar size nationwide.

A town is ranked only when its library system serves that town alone, and the library’s own count of the people it serves is within 20% of the town’s population. Towns served by a county or regional system, or sharing a library with a neighbor, can’t be credited with the numbers, so they aren’t ranked. Libraries that didn’t respond to the survey aren’t ranked either. Vacation towns can rank high because summer residents and visitors use the library too.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Libraries: IMLS Public Libraries Survey. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

Same ranking in other states

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