Most Well-Read Cities in America

[tubemonkey]

Amazon's 3rd Annual Most Well-Read Cities in America - 2013

Amazon.com today announced its third annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America. The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2012, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents. The Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities are:

1. Alexandria, VA
2. Knoxville, TN
3. Miami, FL
4. Cambridge, MA
5. Orlando, FL
6. Ann Arbor, MI
7. Berkeley, CA
8. Cincinnati, OH
9. Columbia, SC
10. Pittsburgh, PA
11. St. Louis, MO
12. Salt Lake City, UT
13. Seattle, WA
14. Vancouver, WA
15. Gainesville, FL
16. Atlanta, GA
17. Dayton, OH
18. Richmond, VA
19. Clearwater, FL
20. Tallahassee, FL

Previous Years

• Most Well-Read Cities in America - 2013
• Most Well-Read Cities in America - 2012
• Most Well-Read Cities in America - 2011

[BeccaPrice]

Is there any way to compare this list with previous years' lists? I know Ann Arbor has always been high - probably because of the university there.

(sometimes I think that me, all by myself, should make that list -I've been on a book buying rampage lately.)

[tubemonkey]

Amazon's 2nd Annual Most Well-Read Cities in America - 2012

Kicking off the summer reading season, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced its annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America. The ranking was determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents. The Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities are:

1. Alexandria, VA
2. Cambridge, MA
3. Berkeley, CA
4. Ann Arbor, MI
5. Boulder, CO
6. Miami, FL
7. Arlington, VA
8. Gainesville, FL
9. Washington, DC
10. Salt Lake City, UT
11. Pittsburgh, PA
12. Knoxville, TN
13. Seattle, WA
14. Orlando, FL
15. Columbia, SC
16. Bellevue, WA
17. Cincinnati, OH
18. St Louis, MO
19. Atlanta, GA
20. Richmond, VA

[tubemonkey]

Amazon's 1st Annual Most Well-Read Cities in America - 2011

Just in time for the summer reading season, Amazon.com announced its list of the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities in America. After compiling sales data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since Jan. 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents, the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities are:

1. Cambridge, MA
2. Alexandria, VA
3. Berkeley, CA
4. Ann Arbor, MI
5. Boulder, CO
6. Miami, FL
7. Salt Lake City, UT
8. Gainesville, FL
9. Seattle, WA
10. Arlington, VA
11. Knoxville, TN
12. Orlando, FL
13. Pittsburgh, PA
14. Washington, DC
15. Bellevue, WA
16. Columbia, SC
17. St Louis, MO
18. Cincinnati, OH
19. Portland, OR
20. Atlanta, GA

[BeccaPrice]

So Ann Arbor started at #4 (I pick that because I live just outside A2), and is now down to #6. I wonder whether that's because they're not reading (from Amazon) as much, or whether other cities are just ordering more books from Amazon (maybe due to loss of B&M bookstores?)

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

So Ann Arbor started at #4 (I pick that because I live just outside A2), and is now down to #6. I wonder whether that's because they're not reading (from Amazon) as much, or whether other cities are just ordering more books from Amazon (maybe due to loss of B&M bookstores?)

Kinda funny that Amazon's home town - Seattle - is only 13.

[Apache]

It seems to be only Amazon data and does not include other companies data.
Apache

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Apache

It seems to be only Amazon data and does not include other companies data.
Apache

Yep, it's strictly an Amazon thing.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

So Ann Arbor started at #4 (I pick that because I live just outside A2), and is now down to #6. I wonder whether that's because they're not reading (from Amazon) as much, or whether other cities are just ordering more books from Amazon (maybe due to loss of B&M bookstores?)

Maybe people in Ann Arbor are reading longer books, and thus reading just as much, but buying a smaller number.

[usuallee]

Portland, Oregon seems to me to have the most avid readers of any place I've been - so many people everywhere you look toting around and reading books on public transportation, in parks and on the street. I felt right at home. They have their own amazing, giant (a full city block, several stories) legendary bookstore - Powell's Books. I bet if the data included all books bought and sold, Portland would be near the top.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by usuallee

Portland, Oregon seems to me to have the most avid readers of any place I've been - so many people everywhere you look toting around and reading books on public transportation, in parks and on the street. I felt right at home. They have their own amazing, giant (a full city block, several stories) legendary bookstore - Powell's Books. I bet if the data included all books bought and sold, Portland would be near the top.

Seattle is similar -- I worry about those folks Kindling down the street risking broken bones not paying attention! Lots of folks on the bus using ereaders or reading teeny font on their phones. And, yes, still quite a few DTB'ers around, too.

[SteveEisenberg]

So what do we make of Miami still at #6? Too hot, most of the year, to do much else? And where's Madison?

[JSWolf]

This is not a list of the most well read cities. This is a list of cities that bought more books from Amazon. Bah!

[grumbles]

Borders (the book store) originated in Ann Arbor. I remember visiting their original store sometime around 1990. It was huge with an awesome selection. And since nothing succeeds like excess, they went on to expand and collapse.

[covingtoncat73]

I guess most people in NOLA are too busy dancing in the streets for NOLA to make the list. I do what I can to take up the slack, though I'm in a formerly rural, now suburban town n. of the lake that was home to Walker Percy. We have a wonderful public library, with a better eBook selection than New Orleans Public.