Bookmobiles in the U.S.

 

1950     603 (highest states are North Carolina at 87, Missouri at 48, Ohio at 47)

 

1989     921 (highest states are Kentucky at 109, North Carolina at 51, Ohio at 50)

1990    1,102 (highest states are Kentucky at 113 and California at 66)

1991     1,125 (highest states are Kentucky at 110 and California at 67)

1992     1,066 (highest states are Kentucky at 110 and California at 70)

1993     1,035 (highest states are Kentucky at 107 and California at 63)

1994     997 (highest states are Kentucky at 105 and Ohio at 60)

1995     978 (highest states are Kentucky at 103 and Ohio at 61)

1996     966 (highest states are Kentucky at 97 and Ohio at 63)

1997     947 (highest states are Kentucky at 97 and Ohio at 62)

1998     933 (highest states are Kentucky at 98 and Ohio at 64)

1999     907 (highest states are Kentucky at 94 and Ohio at 66)

2000     884 (highest states are Kentucky at 94 and Ohio at 66)

2001     879 (highest states are Kentucky at 94 and Ohio at 66)

2002     873 (highest states are Kentucky at 95 and Ohio at 66)

2003     864 (highest states are Kentucky at 98 and Ohio at 66)

2004     844 (highest states are Kentucky at 86 and Ohio at 75)

2005     825 (highest states are Kentucky at 84 and Ohio at 70)

2006     819 (highest states are Kentucky at 84 and Ohio at 71)

2007     808 (highest states are Kentucky at 84 and Ohio at 71)

2008     797 (highest states are Kentucky at 87 and Ohio at 64)

2009     771 (highest states are Kentucky at 83 and California at 65)

2010     734 (highest states are Kentucky at 81 and California at 60)

2011     695 (highest states are Kentucky at 77 and California at 58)

2012     683 (highest states are Kentucky at 75 and California at 56)

2013     669 (highest states are Kentucky at 75 and California at 56)

2014     661 (highest states are Kentucky at 75 and California/Ohio at 53)

2015     647 (highest states are Kentucky at 75 and California at 51)

2016     659 (highest states are Kentucky at 75 and Ohio at 56)

2017     672 (highest states are Kentucky at 74 and Ohio at 56)

2018     668 (highest states are Kentucky 73 and Ohio at 56)

For the raw data, visit https://www.imls.gov/research-evaluation/data-collection/public-libraries-survey

For more recent figures on Bookmobiles, see https://www.imls.gov/research-evaluation/data-collection/public-libraries-survey/explore-pls-data/pls-data

Sources: These figures come from the annual Public Library Survey, conducted by IMLS from 2006- present; prior annual reports on Public Libraries in the United States: FY XXXX were published by the National Center for Education Statistics. The statistics are on Table 2. The 1950 figures are from Table 14 in Public Library Statistics, Bulletin, 1953, No. 9 from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; Office of Education – the predecessor of NCES. We also checked reports from the same agency covering 1938-39, 1944-45, 1968, 1974, and 1977-78, but could not find comparable figures.