Riot Headline Book Riot’s 2025 Read Harder Challenge
US map with top places for book lovers from explore.com
News

The Best US Cities for Book Lovers

Explore.com's research looked at bookstores and libraries, as well as literary landmarks and events, across 100 US cities.

Community

Contributor

Always books. Never boring.

View All posts by Community

Explore.com just shared new research on the best US cities for book lovers to live and visit. Using the “Top 100 Best American Cities” list, they took a look at several factors to determine what cities were ones that readers will love. Those factors included the number of bookstores and libraries per 10,000 people, as well as local literary landmarks, history, and events.

It might surprise many to learn that the top US city for book lovers is Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Out of a possible 100 points, Lancaster tied with New York City in points. Lancaster, however, far more bookstores and libraries for every 10,000 people than the Big Apple, whereas New York boasts more literary landmarks and events.

The top 10 best US cities for book lovers are:

  • Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  • New York City, New York
  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  • Pensacola, Florida
  • Poughkeepsie, New York
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Birmingham, Alabama
  • St. Louis, Missouri

Check out the full list of best US locales for readers, as well as the breakdown of their library, bookstore, and event offerings, right here. The statistics on the uptick in searches about literary tourism are impressive!

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.

More breaking news here