How Many Books Do People Own?

How many books do people own? YouGov recently surveyed 29,000 Americans to ask them about the books they owned. They asked about both physical and electronic books, but we will limit ourselves to physical books. What they found is that over 90% of Americans own some books, though it may be only one.

They found only 9% of American adults own no physical books. Another 20% own 1-10, 39% fall in the 11-100 category, 17% from 101-500. Then it's 4% from 500-1,000 and 3% over 1,000. The remainder aren't sure. At the lower numbers, we probably don't see many collectors unless they are very early in their journey; at the 500+ level, they are likely collectors, even if they don't realize it.

Next, YouGov compared the 9% of American adults who owned no books to the 25% who 100 or more books on the basis of education. Not surprisingly, those with the higher number of books tended to be the more highly educated. The percentage with no books decreases as the level of education increases, while it is the exact opposite with those who own 100 or more books. Of those with no books, 26% have less than a high school diploma. It drops to 18% with a high school diploma, then to 8% with some college, 4% with a college degree, and 2% with a post graduate degree. When it comes to those with 100+ books, it starts with just 8% with less than a high school diploma, then increases to 10% with a high school degree, 23% with some college, 29% with a college degree, and 42% with a postgraduate degree. That's 42% vs. 8% without a high school degree.

When they looked at the age of people with no vs. people with 100+ books, they found the percentage with no books within a tight range. At 18-29 12% have no books, while at the other end, those 65 and older, the percentage was 7%. When it comes to 100+ books, at age 18-29, 9% owned 100+ books, while at ages 65+ the percentage rises all the way to 39%. This may be somewhat misleading in the implication that older people have more interest in books as they also have had more time to put together a collection of books.

Incomes, not surprisingly, track education level. For those with less than 75% of the median income, 15% own 0 books, while 16% own 100+. Between 75% and 200% of the median income, only 5% own no books while 30% own 100+. At over 200% of the median income, 4% own no books while 40% own 100+. Lower income, naturally, can be a limitation on the number of books one can afford to purchase.

How do Americans sort their books? YouGov says 22% by subject, 20% by book size, 10% alphabetically by author, 9% alphabetically by title, 3% by color, 5% by another system, and 29% don't organize their books. I find myself someplace between subject and don't organize. And you?

You can see YouGov's complete survey by clicking here.