In 2025 the Seattle Public Library set an all-time record: more than 3.4 million people visited its 27 branches. That means each of the city's 800,000 residents visited a library an average of four times a year. The Central Library was especially popular, recording more than 2,000 visits per day, and the total number of active cardholders exceeded 330,000.
Beyond visits, the library reported impressive statistics: patrons checked out items at a rate of 24 transactions per minute — 5.5 million physical items and 7.2 million digital ones, including e-books. By the volume of digital subscriptions, Seattle ranked 10th in the world. In addition, the library held 5,800 events in 2025 (from children's storytimes to business consultations worth $8.3 million), which attracted 130,000 participants.
Based on: Seattle Public Library sees record number of visitors in 2025