#1Ely
St. Louis County · 3,231 peopleVisits per resident a year·Ely Public Library, FY 2024
Ely, #1 on this list · Photo: ShakataGaNai · CC BY-SA 3.0Minnesota rankings · Libraries
Towns with the most-used libraries in Minnesota
Ely has the most-used library of Minnesota’s 18 towns of 2,500+ with a library of their own: 12.7 visits per resident a year at Ely Public Library (IMLS Public Libraries Survey). The typical library here counts 5.0.
IMLS Public Libraries Survey: a year’s visits divided by the people the library serves. Only a library that serves one town (80–125% of its population) and reported its own count is ranked; IMLS estimates never are. A described list: no letters. How grades work
#112.7visits
#2Two Harbors
Lake County · 3,443 peopleVisits per resident a year·Two Harbors Public Library, FY 2024
#3Bayport
Washington County · 3,721 peopleVisits per resident a year·Bayport Public Library, FY 2024
All 18 towns
Visits per resident, highest first.
18 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.
#TownVisits per residentPeople servedLibrary
7International FallsKoochiching County · 5,481 people5,540International Falls Public LibraryIMLS, FY 2024
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Which Minnesota town has the most-used library?
Ely (St. Louis County): Ely Public Library counts 12.7 visits per resident a year. Two Harbors (8.9) and Bayport (8.8) follow.
How are these towns ranked?
By library visits per resident in the IMLS Public Libraries Survey: the visits a town’s own library reported, divided by the population it serves, highest first. It is the same rank as on each town’s Library & civic life page. How grades work.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers towns of 2,500+ with a library of their own that reported its visits (18 in Minnesota). Towns served by a county or regional system share its figure and aren’t ranked one by one; figures IMLS estimated for a library that didn’t report aren’t ranked; in states with strong townships the township, not a village inside it, is ranked. Every town is on the Minnesota page.
Go deeper
All Minnesota rankings →More Minnesota lists
Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.
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