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MOMissouri rankings

Towns with the most-used public libraries in Missouri

Ranked by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. 50 towns with 2,500+ residents.

IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024

Map of Chaffee
Missouri · Most-used libraries

Where Chaffee lands: #42 of 50

1.9 per resident library visits a year · Visit Chaffee →

Richmond Heights 1 Richmond Heights 16.6 per resident Richmond Heights Memorial Library 2 North Kansas City 16.5 per resident North Kansas City Public Library Mountain View 3 Mountain View 12.3 per resident Mountain View Public Library
#TownVisits per residentLibraryVisits a year
1 Richmond Heights Richmond Heights9,153 people 16.6 per resident Richmond Heights Memorial Library 154,461
2 North Kansas City4,983 people 16.5 per resident North Kansas City Public Library 73,594
3 Mountain View Mountain View2,658 people 12.3 per resident Mountain View Public Library 31,200
4 Macon Macon5,466 people 9.7 per resident Macon Public Library 53,019
5 West Plains West Plains12,441 people 9.1 per resident West Plains Public Library 111,363
6 Rolla Rolla20,287 people 7.7 per resident Rolla Public Library 153,417
7 Brentwood Brentwood8,144 people 7.6 per resident Brentwood Public Library 62,287
8 Montgomery City Montgomery City2,801 people 7.4 per resident Montgomery City Public Library 20,764
9 Centralia Centralia4,690 people 6.6 per resident Centralia Public Library 26,936
10 Kirkwood Kirkwood29,363 people 6.5 per resident Kirkwood Public Library 191,775
11 De Soto De Soto6,470 people 6.5 per resident De Soto Public Library 42,237
12 Carrollton Carrollton3,145 people 5.7 per resident Carrollton Public Library 20,020
13 Maplewood Maplewood8,156 people 5.5 per resident Maplewood Public Library 45,148
14 Map of Salem Salem4,677 people 4.9 per resident Salem Public Library 22,672
15 Webster Groves Webster Groves23,712 people 4.8 per resident Webster Groves Public Library 114,250
16 Map of Nevada Nevada7,925 people 4.6 per resident Nevada Public Library 37,470
17 Joplin Joplin52,593 people 4.4 per resident Joplin Public Library 216,461
18 Map of Poplar Bluff Poplar Bluff16,254 people 4.3 per resident Poplar Bluff Municipal Library District 69,488
19 Festus Festus13,201 people 4.3 per resident Festus Public Library 54,478
20 Caruthersville Caruthersville5,326 people 3.9 per resident Caruthersville Public Library 21,595
21 Farmington Farmington18,282 people 3.8 per resident Farmington Public Library 69,820
22 St. Louis St. Louis288,512 people 3.5 per resident City of St. Louis Municipal Library District 1,050,908
23 Ferguson Ferguson18,213 people 3.4 per resident Ferguson Municipal Public Library District 63,094
24 Canton Canton2,752 people 3.4 per resident Canton Public Library 9,168
25 Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau40,344 people 3.3 per resident Municipal Library District of the City of Cape Girardeau 119,264
26 Cameron Cameron8,519 people 3.2 per resident Cameron Public Library 27,026
27 Bowling Green4,170 people 3.1 per resident Bowling Green Public Library 12,870
28 Map of Webb City Webb City13,221 people 2.8 per resident Webb City Public Library 36,000
29 Dexter Dexter7,891 people 2.7 per resident Keller Public Library of Dexter 21,121
30 Rock Hill Rock Hill4,693 people 2.6 per resident Rock Hill Public Library 12,462
31 St. James St. James3,916 people 2.6 per resident James Memorial Library 10,267
32 Louisiana Louisiana3,228 people 2.4 per resident Louisiana Public Library 7,716
33 Map of Maryville Maryville10,428 people 2.2 per resident Maryville Public Library 23,208
34 Map of University City University City34,685 people 2.1 per resident University City Public Library 74,323
35 Hannibal Hannibal16,771 people 2.1 per resident Hannibal Free Public Library 35,393
36 Higginsville Higginsville4,781 people 2.1 per resident Robertson Memorial Library 8,748
37 Crystal City Crystal City4,718 people 2.1 per resident Crystal City Public Library 9,799
38 Carthage Carthage15,574 people 2.0 per resident Carthage Public Library 31,200
39 St. Joseph St. Joseph71,236 people 1.9 per resident Saint Joseph Public Library 119,236
40 Park Hills Park Hills8,678 people 1.9 per resident Park Hills Public Library 16,721
41 Map of Brookfield Brookfield4,144 people 1.9 per resident Brookfield Public Library 7,920
42 Map of Chaffee Chaffee3,026 people 1.9 per resident Chaffee Public Library 5,864
43 Marshall Marshall13,739 people 1.7 per resident Marshall Public Library 23,881
44 Bethany Bethany3,080 people 1.6 per resident Bethany Public Library 4,540
45 Map of Monroe City Monroe City3,028 people 1.6 per resident Monroe City Public Library 3,941
46 Tipton Tipton2,667 people 1.5 per resident Price James Memorial Library 4,316
47 Sikeston Sikeston16,320 people 1.4 per resident Sikeston Public Library 20,176
48 Sedalia Sedalia22,003 people 1.3 per resident Sedalia Public Library 26,104
49 Bonne Terre Bonne Terre6,683 people 1.3 per resident Bonne Terre Memorial Library 9,297
50 Desloge Desloge4,863 people 1.1 per resident Desloge Public Library 5,452

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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