Indie Bookstores Per Capita: Where Does Massachusetts Fall?

There are few elements of American society that are relaxing as entering your local bookstore and finding the perfect novel for your reading pleasure, along with maybe grabbing a cup of coffee to enjoy while you peruse the shelves.

Few states have the array of bookstores that the Bay State does, with Massachusetts having the 11th most independent bookstores of any state in America, ranking just behind New Mexico and ahead of Delaware nationally.

With Indie Bookstore Day being April 27, it’s time to celebrate the success of independent bookstores in the U.S. In keeping, BetMassachusetts.com, home to all things Massachusetts sports betting, decided to see what states love indie bookstores the most. Using the Indie Bookstore Finder on IndieBound.org, we collected the number of indie bookstores in each state. Then, we ranked the top 15 states with the most indie bookstores per capita.

Top 15 Indie-Bookstore Supporting States

Rank	State	Independent Bookstore Per Capita
1	Vermont	4.02
2	Maine	3.58
3	New Hampshire	1.64
4	Wyoming	1.54
5	Oregon	1.51
6	Iowa	1.47
7	Rhode Island	1.46
8	Montana	1.32
9	Minnesota	1.31
10	New Mexico	1.18
11	Massachusetts	1.07
12	Delaware	1.06
13	Colorado	.987
14	Nebraska	.910
15	Washington	.909

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Book-loving: Where Massachusetts Ranks

Massachusetts’ 1.07 independent bookstores per capita ranks just behind the Land of Enchantment (1.18) and ahead of America’s 1st State (1.06), while finishing well behind national leaders like Vermont (4.02), Maine (3.58) and New Hampshire (1.64).

Throw in others like Wyoming (1.54), Oregon (1.51), Iowa (1.47), Rhode Island (1.46) and Minnesota (1.31) and you have the full rundown of states that have more independent bookstores per capita than Massachusetts.

The state did rank ahead of others like Colorado (.987) and Nebraska (.910) and Washington (.909) by that metric, illustrating just how deep of a connection Massachusetts residents have with independent bookstores, whether they be in college hamlets like Amherst and Cambridge or in cities and towns from the western fringes of the state all the way east towards Cape Cod.

Stick with BetMassachusetts.com for more research items along these lines, including: Massachusetts Home to Some of Best U.S. Screenwriters.

USA Today photo by Alex Hicks Jr.

Author

Christopher Boan

@cgboan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.