American independent bookstores grew seventy percent since 2020
Local bookshops are thriving even as national reading scores fall, with over 3,200 locations now serving as vital community hubs.
A striking paradox has emerged in American literacy. Reading scores for high school seniors sit at their lowest point since 1992, with nearly a third of students unable to reliably locate details in a text. Yet, the American Booksellers Association reports that the number of independent bookstores has grown by 70 percent since 2020, rising from roughly 1,900 to more than 3,200 shops.
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