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Wisconsin rankings · Libraries

Towns with the most-used public libraries in Wisconsin

Ranked by library visits per resident in a year, at the public library that serves the town. 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
Monona11.6 per resident · Monona Public Library
#2
Whitefish Bay10.9 per resident · Whitefish Bay Public Library
#3
Shorewood10.1 per resident · Shorewood Public Library

All 30 towns

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

#TownVisits per residentLibraryVisits a year
1 Monona8,527 people 11.6 per resident Monona Public Library121,541
2 Whitefish Bay14,665 people 10.9 per resident Whitefish Bay Public Library161,348
3 Shorewood13,627 people 10.1 per resident Shorewood Public Library138,190
4 Greendale14,594 people 9.2 per resident Greendale Public Library134,575
5 Brown Deer12,564 people 8.5 per resident Brown Deer Public Library110,166
6 Elm Grove6,459 people 8.0 per resident Elm Grove Public Library53,281
7 RomeAdams County · 3,184 people 7.6 per resident Lester Public Library of Rome24,440
8 Hales Corners7,689 people 7.5 per resident Hales Corners Public Library58,085
9 Cudahy17,853 people 7.2 per resident Cudahy Family Library128,991
10 Wauwatosa48,529 people 6.8 per resident Wauwatosa Public Library338,734
11 St. Francis9,004 people 6.8 per resident St. Francis Public Library61,049
12 Brookfield41,273 people 4.9 per resident Brookfield Public Library218,755
13 Muskego25,406 people 4.9 per resident Muskego Public Library131,634
14 West Allis59,612 people 4.8 per resident West Allis Public Library305,378
15 New Berlin40,270 people 4.8 per resident New Berlin Public Library195,421
16 Madison278,001 people 4.5 per resident Madison Public Library1,371,269
17 La Crosse51,356 people 4.5 per resident La Crosse Public Library233,476
18 Franklin35,886 people 4.5 per resident Franklin Public Library165,171
19 Fitchburg32,619 people 4.3 per resident Fitchburg Public Library155,740
20 Oak Creek37,325 people 4.2 per resident Oak Creek Public Library162,561
21 Menomonee Falls39,539 people 4.1 per resident Menomonee Falls Public Library168,607
22 Waupun11,174 people 3.9 per resident Waupun Public Library54,815
23 Waukesha71,233 people 3.4 per resident Waukesha Public Library306,624
24 Greenfield37,345 people 3.4 per resident Greenfield Public Library129,282
25 Oshkosh66,729 people 2.9 per resident Oshkosh Public Library236,877
26 Menasha18,273 people 2.9 per resident Elisha D. Smith Public Library65,643
27 Janesville66,030 people 2.8 per resident Hedberg Public Library224,384
28 South Milwaukee20,442 people 2.8 per resident South Milwaukee Public Library56,994
29 Whitewater15,807 people 2.6 per resident Irvin L. Young Memorial Library43,909
30 Milwaukee566,973 people 2.0 per resident Milwaukee Public Library1,157,773
How it works

How this ranking works

The WI list, with the map →

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.

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