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NMNew Mexico rankings

Towns with the most-used public libraries in New Mexico

Ranked by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. 36 towns with 2,500+ residents.

IMLS Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024

Taos 1 Taos 13.3 per resident Taos Public Library Ruidoso 2 Ruidoso 11.9 per resident Ruidoso Public Library Map of Belen 3 Belen 7.2 per resident Belen Public Library
#TownVisits per residentLibraryVisits a year
1 Taos Taos6,458 people 13.3 per resident Taos Public Library 85,876
2 Ruidoso Ruidoso7,699 people 11.9 per resident Ruidoso Public Library 91,062
3 Map of Belen Belen7,450 people 7.2 per resident Belen Public Library 53,053
4 Tucumcari Tucumcari5,160 people 6.7 per resident Tucumcari Public Library 35,300
5 Santa Fe Santa Fe89,019 people 5.2 per resident Santa Fe Public Library 458,860
6 Gallup Gallup21,023 people 5.0 per resident Octavia Fellin Public Library 109,385
7 Carlsbad Carlsbad31,746 people 4.6 per resident Carlsbad Public Library 146,951
8 Aztec Aztec6,150 people 4.5 per resident Aztec Public Library 28,127
9 Silver City Silver City9,536 people 4.3 per resident Silver City Public Library 41,933
10 Socorro Socorro8,481 people 4.1 per resident Socorro Public Library 35,304
11 Map of Grants Grants8,951 people 3.7 per resident Grants Public Library 33,820
12 Corrales Corrales8,555 people 3.7 per resident Corrales Community Library 31,224
13 Roswell Roswell47,638 people 3.6 per resident Roswell Public Library 175,546
14 Artesia Artesia12,576 people 3.5 per resident Artesia Public Library 45,057
15 Bloomfield Bloomfield7,395 people 3.5 per resident Bloomfield Public Library 26,270
16 Portales Portales11,968 people 3.4 per resident Portales Public Library 41,849
17 Truth or Consequences Truth or Consequences6,019 people 3.4 per resident Truth Or Consequences Public Library 20,776
18 Española Española10,473 people 3.3 per resident Espanola Public Library 34,479
19 Farmington Farmington46,314 people 3.0 per resident Farmington Public Library 140,924
20 Los Lunas Los Lunas18,618 people 3.0 per resident Los Lunas Public Library 52,251
21 Raton Raton6,026 people 2.6 per resident Arthur Johnson Memorial Library 15,431
22 Las Cruces Las Cruces114,197 people 2.5 per resident Thomas Branigan Memorial Library 276,780
23 Bosque Farms Bosque Farms4,071 people 2.4 per resident Bosque Farms Public Library 9,722
24 Clayton Clayton2,753 people 2.3 per resident Albert W. Thompson Memorial Library 6,052
25 Eunice Eunice3,015 people 2.1 per resident Eunice Public Library 6,351
26 Deming Deming15,221 people 2.0 per resident Marshall Memorial Library 29,847
27 Map of Edgewood Edgewood6,124 people 1.9 per resident Edgewood Community Library 11,645
28 Clovis Clovis37,942 people 1.8 per resident Clovis Carver Public Library 70,579
29 Bernalillo Bernalillo9,086 people 1.7 per resident Town of Bernalillo Public Library 15,244
30 Lovington Lovington11,498 people 1.6 per resident Lovington Public Library 18,268
31 Rio Rancho Rio Rancho108,515 people 1.5 per resident Rio Rancho Public Library 154,150
32 Map of Tularosa Tularosa2,597 people 1.4 per resident Tularosa Public Library 3,640
33 Sunland Park Sunland Park17,463 people 1.1 per resident Sunland Park Community Library 18,514
34 Hobbs Hobbs40,252 people 1.0 per resident Hobbs Public Library 41,169
35 Anthony Anthony8,767 people 0.8 per resident Anthony Public Library 6,926
36 Las Vegas Las Vegas13,000 people 0.7 per resident Carnegie Public Library 9,084

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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