Amazon’s Most Well-Read City Is Alexandria, Virginia

By Jason Boog 

Alexandria, Virginia is the most well-read city in America once again, according to Amazon’s annual ranking that measures “all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format” in cities around the country.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was the most popular novel purchased in that city, followed by the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.

We’ve reprinted the top 20 cities on the list below–the survey counts sales data “on a per capita basis,” only focused on cities with more than 100,000 residents.

The list did not include New York City, Los Angeles and a few other notable cities with a bustling bookstore scene. Do you think that affected the rankings? Here’s more from the release:

Cambridge, Mass. continues to grow the most budding entrepreneurs. This locale topped the list for ordering the most books in the Business & Investing category, as well as overall nonfiction, with the top titles purchased being Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most and StrengthsFinder 2.0.

  1. Alexandria, Va.
  2. Knoxville, Tenn.
  3. Miami, Fla.
  4. Cambridge, Mass.
  5. Orlando, Fla.
  6. Ann Arbor, Mich.
  7. Berkeley, Calif.
  8. Cincinnati, Ohio
  9. Columbia, S.C.
  10. Pittsburgh, Penn.
  11. St. Louis, Mo.
  12. Salt Lake City, Utah
  13. Seattle, Wash.
  14. Vancouver, Wash.
  15. Gainesville, Fla.
  16. Atlanta, Ga.
  17. Dayton, Ohio
  18. Richmond, Va.
  19. Clearwater, Fla.
  20. Tallahassee, Fla.