Guide Rankings Education Updated May 28, 2026

Banned Books by State

Map showing the number of banned books by state in U.S. public schools, with Florida and Iowa leading all states

Banned Books by State

Ranking - Education

Florida recorded 8,837 school book bans and Iowa recorded 3,798, together accounting for more than half of all documented bans nationwide.

Quick Answer

Banned Books by State

  1. 1

    Florida leads all states with 8,837 school book bans, according to World Population Review data sourced from PEN America. Iowa ranks second with 3,798 — ahead of Texas (3,745) — driven by a 2023 state law requiring schools to remove any title with sexual content pending review.

  2. 2

    Tennessee (2,016) and Pennsylvania (737) rank fourth and fifth. Six states have no recorded school book bans: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico.

  3. 3

    Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie appear on banned lists in the greatest number of states.

Map

Banned Books by State 2026 Map

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Florida (8,837) leads by a wide margin. Iowa (3,798) ranks second ahead of Texas (3,745) — a surprise given Iowa's smaller population. Six states (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico) have no recorded bans.
Banned Books by State 2026 Map
Rank State books banned
1 Florida 8,837
2 Iowa 3,798
3 Texas 3,745
4 Tennessee 2,016
5 Pennsylvania 737
6 Wisconsin 482
7 Missouri 419
8 Utah 351
9 Virginia 312
10 Idaho 213
11 South Carolina 197
12 Georgia 153
13 North Carolina 137
14 Kentucky 103
15 Maine 97
16 New York 84
17 Michigan 80
18 Maryland 71
19 Wyoming 65
20 Oregon 61
21 Alaska 57
22 Oklahoma 45
23 Montana 43
24 Kansas 38
25 Colorado 28
26 North Dakota 27
27 Indiana 24
28 Mississippi 22
29 Minnesota 19
30 Illinois 7
30 Ohio 7
30 South Dakota 7
33 Nebraska 6
33 New Jersey 6
35 Arkansas 5
35 Washington 5
37 California 3
38 Arizona 2
38 Massachusetts 2
38 New Hampshire 2
38 West Virginia 2
42 Louisiana 1
42 Rhode Island 1
42 Vermont 1
45 Alabama 0
45 Connecticut 0
45 Delaware 0
45 Hawaii 0
45 Nevada 0
45 New Mexico 0

Florida (8,837) leads by a wide margin. Iowa (3,798) ranks second ahead of Texas (3,745) — a surprise given Iowa's smaller population. Six states (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico) have no recorded bans.

Banned Books by State Table

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Print-ready table — Banned Books by State

States with the Most Book Bans in Schools

Florida's 8,837 bans are more than double Iowa's 3,798 and account for roughly 40 percent of all documented school book bans in the United States. Florida's count surged after HB 1467 (2022) required school districts to remove any book not yet reviewed and approved by a certified media specialist, triggering mass removals while review backlogs accumulated across the state's 67 districts.

Iowa's 3,798 bans rank second — ahead of Texas (3,745) — despite Iowa having less than one-quarter of Texas's population. Iowa's totals surged after HF 847 (2023) directed schools to remove titles with sexual content, with removal lists spanning hundreds of titles across multiple districts in a single school year. Tennessee (2,016) ranks fourth; its total reflects a combination of state legislation and locally driven removal campaigns.

Top 10 States by School Book Bans

The top 10 states — Florida, Iowa, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, and Idaho — account for the overwhelming majority of all documented school book bans. Pennsylvania (737) and Wisconsin (482) rank fifth and sixth without high-profile statewide legislation, reflecting concentrated district-level removal campaigns. Utah (351) ranks eighth; its banned list includes the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, challenged across multiple districts for sexual content.

South Carolina (197, rank 11) has 22 documented titles on the state's banned list including The Perks of Being a Wallflower, All Boys Aren't Blue, and Flamer. Virginia (312, rank 9) and Idaho (213, rank 10) both surpass the totals of many larger states, reflecting unusually active district-level removal campaigns relative to their populations.

Which States Have No School Book Bans

Six states have no recorded school book bans: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico. Many additional states have very few documented bans: California (3), Massachusetts (2), Washington (5), and Arkansas (5) are among the lowest. Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Vermont each have exactly 1 recorded ban.

Quick Answers

Which state has the most banned books?
Florida leads all states with 8,837 documented school book bans, according to World Population Review citing PEN America data. Iowa ranks second with 3,798, and Texas ranks third with 3,745.
Why does Iowa have so many book bans?
Iowa's 3,798 school book bans — second in the nation — were driven primarily by HF 847 (2023), a state law directing schools to remove titles containing sexual content. The law triggered mass removals across Iowa school districts, pushing Iowa's total above Texas despite Iowa having less than one-quarter of Texas's population.
How many books were banned in schools in the United States?
World Population Review documents approximately 22,000 cumulative school book ban incidents across the 44 states with recorded bans. Six states — Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico — have no recorded school book bans.
What are the most banned books in schools?
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe appears on banned lists in more states than any other title. All Boys Aren't Blue, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Flamer, The Bluest Eye, and the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas are also among the most frequently banned books in school districts.
How many books are banned in Florida schools?
Florida has 8,837 documented school book bans — the highest of any state. The surge followed HB 1467 (2022), which required removal of unreviewed books while districts worked through approval backlogs across Florida's 67 school districts.
Which states have the fewest school book bans?
Six states have no recorded school book bans: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico. The next lowest are Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Vermont (1 ban each), followed by Arizona, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and West Virginia (2 each).

Methodology

Counts reflect cumulative documented removal or restriction incidents in school libraries and classrooms, as compiled by World Population Review citing PEN America data. A single title removed from multiple classrooms or campuses within a district counts as multiple incidents. Six states not listed by the source are shown as 0.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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