First: I wanna clarify this. I know that loads of people read like 100 books a year, or read all the time. I know these people exist. I’m asking about people that are like… average. An average american who just… reads. Doesn’t track everything or sets goals of like 100, or never stops reading… Anyway, I’ve been searching this up, and i find answers like 15-50, even 100. I find this highly unlikely, especially for average US citizens. Half the people i know don’t even pick up 5 books a year, let alone 15! I just don’t believe these stats. I read somewhere that people read 8 a month on average? That can’t be right for an average person. That’s like 2 books a week… I know people do read this much, but still… For an average person? So be real… how many books do people actually read a year?
My Grandmother who is 93, reads a book every 1-2 days. These are mostly Tom Clancy type novels, but she reads everything.
I go thru spurts where I will read several hours a day for weeks, but then not read for a few months. You also have to keep in mind the length and difficulty of the reading. A Kurt Vonnegut book I can often read in one day. A book such as Tale of Two Cities I think I read in like 10 days. I have also read Les Miserable and War and Peace- each of these endeavors took months.
When you read 100+ books a year, I think that you are so focused on what you are reading next you don’t absorb what you are reading, and how can you when you read it that fast?
Idk, I work for a public library and what I have learned over the years is that some ppl choose to read and others do not. Some ppl come in and will pick up a book maybe once a year or perhaps only popular books. I’d say that those who do choose to read regularly tend to read quite a fair number of books (100+ a year) and then there are the outliers who will read over 500 books a year. And yes, some of my coworkers do not read books and work at the library…
I go through spurts. When nothing much is going on in my life and I feel relaxed, then I might go on a reading kick that lasts for months, maybe a year or so. Then a crisis will emerge, or other kinds of stress, and I switch to movies and TV shows.
So this past year, I don’t think I’ve read a single book. A busy book-reading year for me will be about 12, as I am a slow reader normally.
The average number of books read by Americans can vary from year to year, and it also depends on the source of the information. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center conducted in 2019, the median number of books read by American adults was about 12 books per year. However, it’s important to note that individual reading habits can vary widely, and some people may read more or fewer books than the median.
Keep in mind that these figures are based on self-reported data and may not be entirely accurate. Additionally, reading habits can be influenced by various factors, including age, education, and personal preferences. The popularity of e-books and audiobooks has also changed how people consume written content, and these formats are not always captured in traditional book-reading surveys.