50 Most Well-Read Cities in America
247wallst: 12.01.2017 by Michael B. Sauter
According
to the Pew
Research Center, only about 1 in 4 Americans read a book in the last year.
That statistic includes e-books and audiobooks, not just the printed word.
While
literacy is a basic goal of education systems worldwide, instilling the desire
to read is more complicated. The vast majority of American adults are able to
read and write fluently in English, yet far fewer actually use their abilities
to read anything beyond the messages on their smartphones and work emails.
The
value of reading a novel can be debated, although studies have shown reading
improves intelligence, enhances memory, expands vocabulary, and reduces stress.
While the shift to digital books is still changing the publishing industry, it
is clear that continuing to embrace reading is important for our nation’s
youth.
24/7
Wall St. reviewed a number of measures associated with literacy to determine
which American metropolitan areas are most likely to read books on a regular
basis. These include the presence of public libraries in a city, residents’
education level, and the presence of higher learning institutions. The
best-read cities range from small cities like Ithaca, New York to major metropolitan
centers like New York CIty and Boston.
According
to Pew’s research, households with higher incomes are significantly more likely
to read books on a regular basis. In most of the metropolitan areas to make
this list, the typical household income well exceeds the national median
household income.
According
to the same Pew study, approximately 1 in 5 Americans have never visited a
library. And slightly less than half of all Americans have been to one in the
past year.
Educational
attainment has a significant impact on how likely Americans are to read on a
regular basis. Almost 60% of those with a college education visited a library
within the last 12 months, but that figure drops to less than 40% for those
with no more than a high school diploma.
Top
10:
1.
Ithaca, NY
2.
Pittsfield, MA
3.
Champaign-Urbana, IL
4.
Ames, IA
5.
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
6.
Manhattan, KS
7.
Barnstable Town, MA
8.
Portland-South Portland, ME
9.
Santa Fe, NM
10.
Walla Walla, WA
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