--- title: "Bookstores in United States: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Share of Search among Barnes & Noble, Half Price Books and Books-A-Million, the bookstores Brandwave compares in United States, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-bookstores" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Bookstores in United States: Which are searched most? Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Share of Search among Barnes & Noble, Half Price Books and Books-A-Million, the bookstores Brandwave compares in United States, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Bookstores - **Market**: United States - **Brands compared**: 3 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Barnes & Noble, 81.8% ## Which brand is most popular in search among bookstores in United States? - In September 2026, Barnes & Noble was the most searched among bookstores in United States, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches and 81.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Half Price Books is in 2nd place, 70.9 percentage points behind at 10.9% Share of Search. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States increased from 80.4% to 81.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Books-A-Million’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States decreased from 8.8% to 7.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States peaked at 84.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 80.4% in October 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Half Price Books’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States peaked at 10.9% in July 2026 and was lowest at 7.6% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Books-A-Million’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States peaked at 9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 7.3% in July 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Half Price Books held steady: its estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Barnes & Noble vs Half Price Books: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/barnes-noble-vs-half-price-books): 81.8% against 10.9% Share of Search. - [Barnes & Noble vs Books-A-Million: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/barnes-noble-vs-books-a-million): 81.8% against 7.3% Share of Search. - [Half Price Books vs Books-A-Million: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/books-a-million-vs-half-price-books): 10.9% against 7.3% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for United States bookstores in September 2026? - In September 2026, Barnes & Noble gained estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States, from 80.5% to 81.8%. - In September 2026, Books-A-Million lost estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United States, from 8.8% to 7.3%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Half Price Books in United States rose 21.5% over 12 measured months, from 823K to 1M in September 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Barnes & Noble | 81.8% | 7.5M | -0.1% | Barnes & Noble | | 2 | Half Price Books | 10.9% | 1M | 0.0% | Half Price Books | | 3 | Books-A-Million | 7.3% | 673K | -18.2% | Books-A-Million | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Barnes & Noble | 6.1M | 80.4% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Half Price Books | 823K | 10.8% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 8.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 83.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Half Price Books | 823K | 9.1% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 7.5% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Barnes & Noble | 11.1M | 84.8% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Books-A-Million | 1M | 7.6% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Half Price Books | 1M | 7.6% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 80.5% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Half Price Books | 1M | 10.7% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Books-A-Million | 823K | 8.8% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 6.1M | 80.4% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Half Price Books | 823K | 10.8% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 8.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 82% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Books-A-Million | 823K | 9% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Half Price Books | 823K | 9% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 6.1M | 80.4% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Half Price Books | 823K | 10.8% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 8.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 80.5% | 1 | | May 2026 | Half Price Books | 1M | 10.7% | 2 | | May 2026 | Books-A-Million | 823K | 8.8% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 83.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Half Price Books | 823K | 9.1% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 7.5% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 81.8% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Half Price Books | 1M | 10.9% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 7.3% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 80.5% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Half Price Books | 1M | 10.7% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Books-A-Million | 823K | 8.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 81.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Half Price Books | 1M | 10.9% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Books-A-Million | 673K | 7.3% | 3 | ## What is being compared - **Barnes & Noble**: Measured on the search terms “barnes and noble” and “barnes noble”, summed into one figure. - **Books-A-Million**: Measured on the search term “books a million”. - **Half Price Books**: Measured on the search term “half price books”. - [Barnes & Noble](/demand/us/brands/barnes-noble) - [Books-A-Million](/demand/us/brands/books-a-million) - [Half Price Books](/demand/us/brands/half-price-books) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among bookstores in United States? In September 2026, Barnes & Noble was the most searched among bookstores in United States, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches and 81.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Bookstores in United States: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-bookstores This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-bookstores. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.