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KSKansas rankings

Towns with the most-used public libraries in Kansas

Ranked by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. 70 towns with 2,500+ residents.

IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024

Girard 1 Girard 20.0 per resident Girard Public Library Norton 2 Norton 18.4 per resident Norton Public Library Osage City 3 Osage City 13.5 per resident Osage City Public Library
#TownVisits per residentLibraryVisits a year
1 Girard Girard2,777 people 20.0 per resident Girard Public Library 49,387
2 Norton Norton2,689 people 18.4 per resident Norton Public Library 49,265
3 Osage City Osage City2,828 people 13.5 per resident Osage City Public Library 37,921
4 Colby Colby5,387 people 13.4 per resident Colby/Pioneer Memorial Library 75,154
5 Hesston Hesston3,582 people 12.4 per resident Hesston Public Library 43,164
6 Tonganoxie Tonganoxie5,891 people 10.4 per resident Tonganoxie Public Library 63,511
7 Kingman Kingman2,957 people 10.0 per resident Kingman Carnegie Library 28,800
8 Coffeyville Coffeyville8,662 people 9.7 per resident Coffeyville Public Library 82,820
9 Ottawa Ottawa12,678 people 8.2 per resident Ottawa Library 103,948
10 Map of Mulvane Mulvane6,171 people 8.1 per resident Mulvane Public Library 55,860
11 Map of Clearwater Clearwater2,716 people 7.6 per resident Clearwater Public Library 20,000
12 Map of Manhattan Manhattan54,239 people 7.4 per resident Manhattan Public Library 396,982
13 Map of Goddard Goddard6,030 people 7.4 per resident Goddard Public Library 42,159
14 Clay Center Clay Center4,132 people 7.4 per resident Clay Center Carnegie Library 30,165
15 Map of Bonner Springs Bonner Springs7,839 people 7.3 per resident Bonner Springs City Library 55,612
16 Baldwin City Baldwin City4,911 people 7.3 per resident Baldwin City Library 36,110
17 Garnett Garnett3,202 people 7.3 per resident Garnett Public Library 23,192
18 Map of Goodland Goodland4,121 people 7.2 per resident Goodland Public Library 31,512
19 Map of Wamego Wamego4,386 people 6.9 per resident Wamego Public Library 33,609
20 Map of Valley Center Valley Center8,590 people 6.8 per resident Valley Center Public Library 50,318
21 Iola Iola5,348 people 6.8 per resident Iola Public Library 35,951
22 Holton Holton3,387 people 6.7 per resident Beck-Bookman Library 22,757
23 Map of Hays Hays21,143 people 6.6 per resident Hays Public Library 138,835
24 Map of Derby Derby26,062 people 6.4 per resident Derby Public Library 168,732
25 Union UnionSedgwick County · 2,651 people 6.2 per resident Colwich Community Library 15,439
26 Map of Atchison Atchison10,785 people 6.0 per resident Atchison Library 63,948
27 Map of Hiawatha Hiawatha3,197 people 6.0 per resident Hiawatha/Morrill Public Library 19,295
28 Morton MortonSedgwick County · 2,792 people 5.9 per resident Cheney Public Library 16,427
29 Hillsboro Hillsboro2,700 people 5.8 per resident Hillsboro Public Library 15,650
30 Paola Paola5,770 people 5.5 per resident Paola Free Library 32,075
31 Map of Ellsworth Ellsworth3,108 people 5.5 per resident J.H. Robbins Memorial Library 17,200
32 Chanute Chanute8,598 people 5.4 per resident Chanute Public Library 45,632
33 Neodesha Neodesha2,503 people 5.4 per resident Neodesha/W.A. Rankin Memorial 11,850
34 Parsons Parsons9,425 people 5.1 per resident Parsons Public Library 47,503
35 Newton Newton18,397 people 5.0 per resident Newton Public Library 90,357
36 Marysville Marysville3,422 people 5.0 per resident Marysville Public Library 16,931
37 Haysville Haysville11,117 people 4.9 per resident Haysville Community Library 54,818
38 Map of McPherson McPherson13,995 people 4.6 per resident Mcpherson Public Library 63,984
39 Abilene Abilene6,449 people 4.6 per resident Abilene Public Library 29,929
40 Osawatomie Osawatomie4,182 people 4.4 per resident Osawatomie Public Library 18,489
41 Olathe145,057 people 4.2 per resident Olathe Public Library 612,074
42 Lawrence Lawrence96,051 people 4.2 per resident Lawrence Public Library 406,651
43 Map of Winfield Winfield11,711 people 4.1 per resident Winfield Public Library 47,736
44 Map of Lindsborg Lindsborg3,792 people 4.1 per resident Lindsborg Community Library 15,742
45 Pittsburg Pittsburg20,637 people 3.8 per resident Pittsburg Public Library 77,155
46 Great Bend Great Bend14,479 people 3.8 per resident Great Bend Public Library 54,545
47 Map of Augusta Augusta9,216 people 3.6 per resident Augusta Public Library 33,519
48 Salina46,307 people 3.4 per resident Salina Public Library 154,503
49 Liberal Liberal19,316 people 3.4 per resident Liberal Memorial Library 64,957
50 Concordia Concordia5,015 people 3.2 per resident Frank Carlson Library 16,016
51 Russell Russell4,217 people 3.1 per resident Russell Public Library 13,515
52 Map of Halstead Halstead2,516 people 3.1 per resident Halstead Public Library 6,553
53 Map of Wellington Wellington7,615 people 3.0 per resident Wellington Public 22,484
54 Map of Beloit Beloit3,029 people 3.0 per resident Port Library 10,227
55 Hutchinson Hutchinson39,709 people 2.7 per resident Hutchinson Public Library 108,576
56 Leavenworth Leavenworth37,195 people 2.6 per resident Leavenworth Public Library 98,025
57 Dodge City Dodge City27,613 people 2.6 per resident Dodge City Public Library 71,434
58 Map of Hoisington Hoisington2,643 people 2.4 per resident Hoisington Public Library 6,198
59 Map of El Dorado El Dorado12,769 people 2.3 per resident Bradford Memorial Library 29,166
60 Map of Park City Park City7,673 people 2.3 per resident Park City Public Library 20,652
61 Galena Galena2,754 people 2.3 per resident Galena Public Library 6,302
62 Fort Scott Fort Scott7,555 people 2.2 per resident Fort Scott Public Library 16,873
63 Map of Baxter Springs Baxter Springs3,855 people 2.2 per resident Johnston Public Library 8,467
64 Map of Lyons Lyons3,553 people 2.2 per resident Lyons Public Library 7,647
65 Lansing Lansing11,246 people 2.1 per resident Lansing Community Library 24,048
66 Map of Kansas City Kansas City155,135 people 2.0 per resident Kansas City, Kansas Public Library 320,254
67 Arkansas City Arkansas City11,884 people 1.8 per resident Arkansas City Public Library 21,649
68 Wichita Wichita397,945 people 1.6 per resident Wichita Public Library 646,814
69 Columbus Columbus2,881 people 1.3 per resident Columbus Public Library 3,744
70 Rose Hill4,246 people 1.1 per resident Rose Hill Public Library 4,700

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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