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Wisconsin rankings · Libraries

Towns that borrow the most from their library in Wisconsin

Ranked by books, movies, e-books and other items the town’s public library lent in a year, per resident. 30 towns with 2,500+ residents.

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RubyNot on this list

Ruby has fewer than 2,500 residents, the floor for WI lists.

#1
Whitefish Bay24.8 per resident · Whitefish Bay Public Library
#2
Shorewood22.9 per resident · Shorewood Public Library
#3
Monona20.1 per resident · Monona Public Library

All 30 towns

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

#TownLoans per residentLibraryLoans a year
1 Whitefish Bay14,665 people 24.8 per resident Whitefish Bay Public Library365,032
2 Shorewood13,627 people 22.9 per resident Shorewood Public Library313,250
3 Monona8,527 people 20.1 per resident Monona Public Library210,899
4 Wauwatosa48,529 people 17.6 per resident Wauwatosa Public Library871,541
5 Elm Grove6,459 people 17.3 per resident Elm Grove Public Library114,938
6 Brookfield41,273 people 14.4 per resident Brookfield Public Library648,588
7 Hales Corners7,689 people 13.8 per resident Hales Corners Public Library106,819
8 Greendale14,594 people 13.6 per resident Greendale Public Library199,462
9 St. Francis9,004 people 12.8 per resident St. Francis Public Library115,531
10 Cudahy17,853 people 11.9 per resident Cudahy Family Library213,976
11 Waukesha71,233 people 11.4 per resident Waukesha Public Library1,013,618
12 Muskego25,406 people 11.3 per resident Muskego Public Library304,951
13 La Crosse51,356 people 11.2 per resident La Crosse Public Library582,084
14 Menomonee Falls39,539 people 11.2 per resident Menomonee Falls Public Library460,437
15 New Berlin40,270 people 10.9 per resident New Berlin Public Library444,686
16 Madison278,001 people 10.3 per resident Madison Public Library3,141,149
17 Franklin35,886 people 10.2 per resident Franklin Public Library370,739
18 Fitchburg32,619 people 10.1 per resident Fitchburg Public Library368,256
19 Menasha18,273 people 9.0 per resident Elisha D. Smith Public Library204,495
20 RomeAdams County · 3,184 people 8.9 per resident Lester Public Library of Rome28,358
21 Brown Deer12,564 people 8.7 per resident Brown Deer Public Library112,451
22 Waupun11,174 people 7.9 per resident Waupun Public Library110,131
23 Oshkosh66,729 people 7.7 per resident Oshkosh Public Library632,866
24 Oak Creek37,325 people 7.7 per resident Oak Creek Public Library298,884
25 Janesville66,030 people 7.1 per resident Hedberg Public Library564,355
26 Greenfield37,345 people 7.0 per resident Greenfield Public Library263,922
27 West Allis59,612 people 6.8 per resident West Allis Public Library427,090
28 South Milwaukee20,442 people 6.8 per resident South Milwaukee Public Library140,330
29 Whitewater15,807 people 5.0 per resident Irvin L. Young Memorial Library85,168
30 Milwaukee566,973 people 2.8 per resident Milwaukee Public Library1,602,290
How it works

How this ranking works

The WI 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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