There’s Hope: America’s Libraries Outnumber McDonald’s & Starbucks

You know the saying “There’s a Starbucks on every corner”? Turns out there might be more free books on city blocks than those pricy coffees.

America is home to about 17,000 public libraries, according to statistician Justin Grimes with the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences. Grimes plotted library locations on Google Maps to show their density and outreach. In the shadow of free knowledge, Starbucks operates about 11,000 stores nationwide, and McDonald’s slings burgers in about 14,000. Still, we’d  be curious to find out the average number of people visiting libraries compared to the number of people visiting McDonald’s and Starbucks locations within a given period. We have a feeling that might skew the study’s initial perspective a bit. Sorry, guys.

H/T Galleycat + PicThx Atlantic Cities

More content

CultureProducts
Keebler Drops Superman-Inspired Fudge Stripes Flavor
David Corenswet officially begins his tenure as Superman on July 11. To coincide with the film’s release, Keebler has partnered with Warner Bros. on some…
,
CultureEating Out
This Pizzeria Cooks Pizzas Inside An Actual Volcano
If you thought pizza-flavored soda was wild, wait until you hear about this pizzeria in Guatemala that uses volcano fire to bake pizza. Owned by…
,
Culture
Trump-Era Tariffs Threaten Food Prices As Court Fight Heats Up
Since his tenure as the 45th President began, Donald Trump has signed a swath of executive orders, some including tariffs on long-time international trading partners.…
,
Burger
We Deliver!

Enter your email address below and we'll deliver our top stories straight to your inbox