Ever wonder where the studies released by various institutions come up with their rankings: What is behind the study and the numbers? How are the conclusions reached? In a recent study done by Central Connecticut State University, the results were given with some insight into how the study was conducted and what led to the conclusions. According to this recent study done by CCSU, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle all rank in the top ten of America’s Most Literate Cities. The top ten cities starting with number one include:
1. Washington D.C.;
2. Seattle, Washington;
3, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
4. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania;
5. Denver, Colorado;
6. St. Paul, Minnesota;
7. Boston, Massachusetts;
8. Atlanta, Georgia;
9. Portland, Oregon;
10. San Francisco, California
To see where other cities rank, visit the CCSU website.
Information was gathered from booksellers, educational institutions, the internet, libraries, newspapers, and publications (periodicals, magazines, journals). You might find it interesting to see how the different sources ranked the cities.
The Booksellers’ Ranking included:
1. St. Paul, Minnesota;
2. Oakland, California;
3. Minneapolis, Minnesota;
4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
5. Newark, New Jersey;
6. Seattle, Washington;
7. Cincinnati, Ohio;
8. Atlanta, Georgia;
9. St. Louis, Missouri;
10. Portland, Oregon
11. Buffalo, New York;
12. 5 Denver, Colorado;
12.5 San Francisco, California.
Educational Institutions ranked cities as follows:
1. Plano, Texas;
2. Seattle, Washington;
3. Lincoln, Nebraska;
4. Portland, Oregon;
5. Colorado Springs, Colorado;
6. Atlanta, Georgia;
Raleigh, North Carolina;
Minneapolis, Minnesota;
Washington, D.C.;
Virginia Beach, Virginia
San Francisco slips to 13.5 tying with Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Internet (book orders per capita, unique visitors to online news sites, webpage views, households owning e-book readers) determined the following rankings:
1.Washington, D.C.;
2.Boston, Massachusetts;
3.Oakland, California;
4.San Francisco, California;
5.San Jose, California;
6.Austin, Texas;
7.Seattle, Washington;
8.New York City, New York;
9.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
10.Denver, Colorado
Portland slips to number 13 in this category.
Libraries (number of branches, volumes held per capita, circulation, and number of library professional staff) rank U.S. cities as follows:
1. Cleveland, Ohio;
2. Fort Wayne, Indiana;
3. St. Louis, Missouri;
4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
5. Seattle, Washington;
6. Kansas City, Missouri;
7. Cincinnati, Ohio;
8. Denver Colorado;
9. Toledo, Ohio;
10.Tulsa, Oklahoma
Go Ohio!
Portland is tied with Washington D.C. for 13, San FRancisco is tied with St. Paul Minnesota for 17place.
Newspapers, based on weekday and Sunday total circulation figures, rank U.S. cities as follows:
1. Newark, New Jersey
2. Minneapolis, Minnesota;
3. Santa Ana, California;
4. Washington, D.C.;
5. Cleveland, Ohio;
6. Denver, Colorado;
7. St. Paul, Minnesota;
8. Atlanta, Georgia;
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
10. St. Louis, Missouri.
Seattle and Portland rank 21 and 22 respectively, and San FRancisco ranks at 40.
Publications (including magazine publishers and circulation figures; journals and circulation figures) rank the cities as follows:
1. Washington, D.C.;
2. St. Louis, Missouri;
3. New York City, New York;
4. Atlanta, Georgia;
5. Boston, Massachusetts;
6. Cleveland, Ohio;
7. St. Paul, Minnesota;
8. Minneapolis, Minnesota;
9. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
10. Seattle, Washington
San Francisco ranks at 13, and Portland ties with Columbus, Ohio at 27.
The author of the study is the President of Central Connecticut State University, Dr. John W. Miller. The 12th president of CCSU, Dr. Miller has a distinguished and diverse background. With degrees in journalism and education, Dr. Miller has presented and written ovr 56 refereed papers, and lectures and consults for over 40 educational institutions in throughout the country and worldwide. He has published extensively in journals, and has contributed book chapters and monographs. He has published four books of his own, and numerous electronic and print materials. In addition to his academic accomplishments, Dr. Miller consults and speaks for numerous other outlets and agencies (government and non-government, public radio, and the popular print media). America’s 100 Most Literate Cities is an annual project that Dr. Miller prepares for USA Today.
So the morale of the story? Visit your local library, go online and learn about something new and interesting (Goodle Books is a great source of free reading material), read a newspaper, or pick up a magazine and have a good read. Subscribe to a journal or other periodical. Browse in your local bookshops, or buy a friend or colleague's book, and raise the literacy rate of your city.
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