Towns with the most-used public libraries in Massachusetts
Ranked by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. 255 towns with 2,500+ residents.
1
Provincetown
Barnstable County
27.5 per resident
Provincetown Public Library
2
West Tisbury
Dukes County
26.9 per resident
West Tisbury Free Public Library
3
Chatham
Barnstable County
19.8 per resident
Eldredge Public Library
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.











































































































































































































































