Jocelyn McClurg

USA TODAY

The nation’s capital is hitting the books again: Washington is America’s “most literate city,” according to a survey.

Washington returns to the top spot after being bumped by Minneapolis two years ago. (There was no survey last year.) D.C. had a four-year "most literate" reign before that.

The study, which ranks the reading habits and resources of the nation’s 82 largest cities, is based on data gathered in 2016. This is the 13th year the study has been conducted by Jack Miller, president emeritus of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn.

It measures citizens' use of literacy through criteria including local bookstores, educational levels, Internet and library resources, and newspaper circulation.

(Miller released a Most Literate Nations list in 2016.)

The top 10 cities in the new survey:

1. Washington, D.C.

2. Seattle

3. Minneapolis

4. Atlanta

5. San Francisco

6. Pittsburgh

7. Portland, Ore.

8. Cincinnati

9. St. Paul, Minn.

10. Boston

How does Miller come up with his rankings?

“Being literate involves far more than being able to read,” he said in a news release. “It involves actually reading. Exhibiting literate behavior is what America’s Most Literate Cities (measures). Do people in a city support bookstores, do they have an excellent library system, do they read a local newspaper, do they practice online literacy?”

He adds that student test scores are not used in the survey.

The rest of the list:

11. Denver

12. St. Louis, MO

13. Raleigh, NC

14. Nashville-Davidson, TN

15. Durham, NC

16. Kansas City, MO

17. Austin, TX

18. Honolulu

19. Lexington-Fayette, KY

20. Colorado Springs, CO

21. Cleveland

22. Chicago

23. Columbus, OH

24. Lincoln, NE

25.5 New Orleans

25.5. Tulsa, OK

27. Orlando, FL

28. New York City

29. Indianapolis, IN

30. Oakland, CA

31. Baltimore

32. San Diego

33.5. Omaha, NE

33.5 Plano, TX

35. Philadelphia

36. Irvine, CA

37. St. Petersburg, FL

38. Greensboro, NC

39. Sacramento, CA

40. Louisville-Jefferson Co.,KY

41. Oklahoma City, OK

42. Dallas

43. Virginia Beach, VA

44. Charlotte, NC

45.5. Albuquerque, NM

45.5. Buffalo, NY

47. Milwaukee

48. Newark, NJ

49. Fort Wayne, IN

50. Miami

51. Tampa

52. San Jose, CA

53. Tucson, AZ

54. Anchorage, AK

55. Jacksonville, FL

56. Toledo, OH

57. Detroit

58. Las Vegas

59. Santa Ana, CA

60. Jersey City, NJ

61. Wichita, KS

62. Aurora, CO

63. Chandler, AZ

64. Fort Worth, TX

65. Phoenix, AZ

66.5. Arlington, TX

66.5. Memphis

68. Los Angeles

69. Riverside, CA

70. Houston, TX

71. Henderson, NV

72. Long Beach, CA

73. Mesa, AZ

74. Chula Vista, CA

75. Fresno, CA

76. San Antonio, TX

77. Corpus Christi, TX

78. Anaheim, CA

79. Stockton, CA

80. El Paso, TX

81. Bakersfield, CA

82. Laredo, TX