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.