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Minnesota rankings · Libraries

Towns that borrow the most from their library in Minnesota

Ranked by books, movies, e-books and other items the town’s public library lent in a year, per resident. 18 towns with 2,500+ residents.

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Mapleton has fewer than 2,500 residents, the floor for MN lists.

#1
Stillwater22.8 per resident · Stillwater Public Library
#2
Ely20.2 per resident · Ely Public Library
#3
Bayport17.5 per resident · Bayport Public Library

All 18 towns

Loans per resident, highest first. Towns next door to Mapleton are tagged.

#TownLoans per residentLibraryLoans a year
1 Stillwater19,355 people 22.8 per resident Stillwater Public Library442,463
2 Ely3,240 people 20.2 per resident Ely Public Library65,485
3 Bayport3,905 people 17.5 per resident Bayport Public Library67,532
4 Two Harbors3,567 people 17.3 per resident Two Harbors Public Library64,126
5 New Ulm14,056 people 10.5 per resident New Ulm Public Library147,619
6 Cloquet12,537 people 10.0 per resident Cloquet Public Library127,193
7 Virginia8,332 people 9.6 per resident Virginia Public Library80,280
8 St. Paul307,284 people 9.2 per resident Saint Paul Public Library2,866,265
9 Duluth87,093 people 8.7 per resident Duluth Public Library751,174
10 Columbia Heights22,155 people 8.2 per resident Columbia Heights Public Library176,804
11 Windom4,799 people 7.9 per resident Windom Public Library37,869
12 International Falls5,642 people 7.5 per resident International Falls Public Library41,769
13 Moose Lake2,863 people 7.5 per resident Moose Lake Public Library20,634
14 Mountain Iron2,860 people 7.3 per resident Mountain Iron Public Library20,779
15 Eveleth3,448 people 6.8 per resident Eveleth Public Library23,788
16 East Grand Forks9,028 people 4.4 per resident East Grand Forks Campbell Library40,296
17 Chisholm4,712 people 4.3 per resident Chisholm Public Library19,821
18 Hibbing16,057 people 4.0 per resident Hibbing Public Library64,853
How it works

How this ranking works

The MN list, with the map →

We rank every town by books, movies, e-books and other items the town’s public library lent in a year, per resident. 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.

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