How much does the average American read?
Asked by: Prof. Ashlynn Bartoletti | Last update: January 24, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (61 votes)
The average American reads 12 books per year. 65% of Americans have not read a book in the past year. 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year. 42% of college graduates never read another book after college.
How much does the average American read per day?
The average daily time spent reading by individuals in the United States in 2023 amounted to 0.26 hours, or 15.6 minutes. According to the study, adults over the age of 75 were the most avid readers, spending over 45 minutes reading each day.
What does the average American reading level?
Average Reading Level in the US
The Literacy Project reports that the average American reads at a 7th to 8th-grade level. This means that most people can understand and use language at the level expected of students in the 7th and 8th grades.
What is the top 1% of readers?
50+ books is the top 1% if anyone doesn't want to read the article. Reading five books put you in the top 33 percent, while reading 10 books put you in the top 21 percent. Those of us who read more than 50 books are the true one-percenters: people who read more books than 99 percent of their fellow Americans.
How much does the average Canadian read?
32% said they read one to five books. Just 21% said they read six to 10 books, and 17% read 11 to 20 books in 2022. These book reading statistics are similar to the global data, but with somewhat fewer in the high range and somewhat more in the lower range.
How many books do Americans read?
Is Canada's literacy rate high?
When compared with the 27 OECD countries participating in the 2022 PIAAC, Canada ranked in the top 10 for the proportion of adults with high literacy scores, or those at levels 4 and 5 (276 and over), with 14% of the population at these levels, compared with 11% among participating OECD countries.
How well read is the average person?
The average adult reads between 200 to 400 words per minute. The average American spends only 19 minutes a day reading. The average number of books read by adults over the age of 65 is higher than any other age group at around 20 books per year.
Which race reads the most?
- Among Americans aged 18-29, 80% have read a book in the past year, compared to 70% of those aged 50-64. ( ...
- White adults are more likely to read books than black or Hispanic adults, with 74% of whites having read a book in the past year compared to 67% of blacks and 58% of Hispanics. (
What reading level is the prettiest?
Eliza ✨ It's a middle grade novel, meaning it's for older elementary schoolers and younger middle schoolers. Even so, I think someone of any age could benefit from reading it. Brigit Young The publisher lists it as grades 3 - 7. I find that kids in 5th, 6th and 7th grade seem to respond to it most of all!
What percentage of Americans don't read?
Of the 1,500 polled adults, 46 percent said they had not listened to or read a book in the past year, while 27 percent said that they had read between 1-5 books and nine percent said they had read 6-10.
Do 54% of Americans read below 6th grade level?
Literacy affects everyone, everywhere. Today, 130 million Americans—54% of adults aged 16-74—lack the literacy skills that many take for granted, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
What is the average American reading level?
Average Reading Level In The U.S.
The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project.
Do audiobooks count as reading?
So, is listening to audiobooks considered reading? Yes. But perhaps the better question is: Are you a visual reader or an aural reader? Why not both?
What age group reads the most?
The most likely book readers in the United States are high-school students, college-age adults and people in their 30s, with e-book use highest among 30-somethings, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project.
What is the hardest level of reading?
The fourth and most difficult level of reading is syntopical reading. It is the most complex and systematic type of reading of all. It makes very heavy demands on the reader, even if the materials he is reading are themselves relatively easy and unsophisticated. Another name for this level might be comparative reading.
What reading level is awkward?
Middle grade/middle school fiction graphic novel, 210 pages + extras. Lexile: GN280L (What does GN mean in Lexile Levels? )
What reading level is white?
White Reading Level – IRLA White (3rd grade) | Washington County Cooperative Library Services | BiblioCommons.
What percentage of Canadians read?
49% of Canadians read or listened to books weekly in 2023, with 31% of Canadians reading or listening to books once a day.
What culture reads the most?
India India ranked first in the list with an extraordinary average of 10 hours and 42 minutes spent reading per person per week.
What is the world's most popular race?
Formula One is hands down, the most popular form of auto racing in the world.
How many hours a day should a person read?
However, numerous studies have defined that 15-30 minutes is a minimum interval we should dedicate to reading each day. Neuroscientists agree that even simple lifestyle changes, like daily 15 minutes with a nose in a book, will support your brain health for a lifetime.
Which country reads the most books?
- United States – The most prolific readers in the world, Americans spend almost 7 hours reading per week, on average. ...
- India – Ranking second, Indians' weekly reading rate is just under 7 hours per week, only about 5 minutes per week behind that of Americans.
What does reading do to the brain?
It can improve brain and memory function and keep your brain operating more effectively as you age. Reading also enhances connectivity in the brain, reduces stress, promotes relaxation, improves sleep, and has the potential to decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's.