Original research · Summer 2026
Packed, Not Read: the great American beach book
By Scrivy Research · Published July 1, 2026 · Survey of 2,506 U.S. vacationers
We asked 2,506 American vacationers about the books they pack and the books they actually read. America packs 2.9 books per vacation and finishes 0.6.
Why is an author-tools company auditing beach bags? Scrivy builds tools for people who finish books, and the beach bag is where America's reading intentions meet reality. Before our fall study measures the books Americans mean to write, this one measures the books they mean to read.
- 2.9
- books packed per vacation
- 0.6
- books actually finished
- 41%
- finish zero pages on vacation
- 28%
- have fake-read a bestseller in public
What the data says
#1 Maine
Vacationland actually reads
Packs a modest 2.6 books per vacation and finishes 1.4, the best finish rate in America.
#50 Florida
America’s beach-read capital, in name only
Packs the most books in the nation (3.8) and finishes the fewest (0.3); 58% read zero pages.
3.6
The LaGuardia stack
New York packs more books than every state but Florida and finishes 0.4. Bought at the gate, dead in the seat-back pocket by landing.
19%
The repeat offender book
19% of Americans pack a book they have already failed to finish on two previous trips.
#47 Texas
Bigger bags, same bookmark
Packs 3.4 books per vacation and finishes 0.3, among the three worst finish rates in the country.
28%
The poolside performance
More than a quarter of Americans admit they have pretended to read a bestseller in public.
More from the study: 19% of Americans pack a book they have already failed to finish twice, and the airport bookshop remains where good intentions go to board: nearly a third have bought a book at the gate and never opened it.
The Beach Bag Index, all 50 states
Composite of finish rate (45%), zero-page rate (30%, inverted), and fake-read rate (25%, inverted), normalized 0–100. High scores actually read what they pack. Tap a state for its numbers.
United States
Packs 2.9 books per vacation · finishes 0.6 · 41% read zero pages. Tap a state for its numbers
| # | State | Index | Packed | Finished | Zero pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | 81 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 24% |
| 2 | Vermont | 78 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 34% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 76 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 34% |
| 4 | Oregon | 74 | 3 | 1.2 | 35% |
| 5 | Wisconsin | 72 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 39% |
| 6 | Indiana | 65.3 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 44% |
| 7 | New Jersey | 64.2 | 3.2 | 1 | 42% |
| 8 | Alaska | 63.5 | 3.1 | 1 | 42% |
| 9 | Ohio | 62 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 44% |
| 10 | Missouri | 61.1 | 3 | 0.9 | 45% |
| 11 | South Dakota | 61 | 3 | 0.8 | 43% |
| 12 | Washington | 60.1 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 46% |
| 13 | Kansas | 59.5 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 44% |
| 14 | Colorado | 59.4 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 42% |
| 15 | Virginia | 59 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 42% |
| 16 | Michigan | 58.9 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 48% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 58.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 45% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 58.6 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 44% |
| 19 | Arizona | 57.6 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 44% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 57.6 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 46% |
| 21 | Nebraska | 57.5 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 48% |
| 22 | California | 56.3 | 3 | 0.7 | 44% |
| 23 | Arkansas | 54.2 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 47% |
| 24 | Montana | 53.9 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 45% |
| 25 | Louisiana | 53.6 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 46% |
| 26 | Connecticut | 53.3 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 45% |
| 27 | Iowa | 53.2 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 49% |
| 28 | Delaware | 52.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 46% |
| 29 | Tennessee | 52.1 | 3 | 0.6 | 49% |
| 30 | Illinois | 51.9 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 51% |
| 31 | Hawaii | 51.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 51% |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 51.6 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 48% |
| 33 | Utah | 51.4 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 48% |
| 34 | Massachusetts | 51.3 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 48% |
| 35 | Idaho | 50.6 | 3 | 0.7 | 52% |
| 36 | Mississippi | 50.1 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 49% |
| 37 | South Carolina | 49.8 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 49% |
| 38 | Wyoming | 49.3 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 49% |
| 39 | North Dakota | 48.9 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 48% |
| 40 | North Carolina | 48.8 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 52% |
| 41 | New Mexico | 48 | 3 | 0.6 | 50% |
| 42 | West Virginia | 47.7 | 3 | 0.5 | 49% |
| 43 | Kentucky | 47.5 | 3 | 0.6 | 51% |
| 44 | Alabama | 46.9 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 51% |
| 45 | Georgia | 45.4 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 52% |
| 46 | Maryland | 44.6 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 53% |
| 47 | Texas | 36 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 59% |
| 48 | New York | 34 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 54% |
| 49 | Nevada | 33 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 60% |
| 50 | Florida | 28 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 58% |
Methodology
Who we surveyed. Survey of 2,506 U.S. adults who took a vacation of three or more nights in the last 12 months, fielded June 22–26, 2026 via CloudResearch Connect. Census-balanced on age, gender, and region. State-level figures are weighted; small-state cells carry wider intervals.
How states are ranked. The Beach Bag Index is a 0–100 composite for each state: the finish rate, books finished as a share of books packed (weighted 45%), the share finishing zero pages (30%, inverted), and the share who have fake-read a bestseller in public (25%, inverted), normalized across all 50 states. High scores read what they pack.
What we asked. Books packed for the last vacation; books finished; fake-reading a bestseller in public; airport bookshop purchases that were never opened; the book re-packed after two failed trips; book hours vs. phone hours; demographics.
Data access. Full state tables (XLSX), crosstabs, and print-resolution graphics are available to journalists. Write to support@scrivy.co. Conducted by Scrivy.
Embed the graphic
The interactive state ranking is free to embed, and the dropdown writes the snippet for your market.
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For press
Full state data tables (XLSX), methodology statement, print-resolution graphics, and spokesperson interviews are available, including embargoed access to upcoming research.
Methodology
The full methodology, survey instrument, and weighting notes are published on this page.