There are more public libraries in the U.S. than McDonald’s locations.

You’re never more than 135 miles from a McDonald’s in the continental United States, and the vast majority of the time you’re much closer. For how ubiquitous the golden arches are, however, the fast-food giant’s 14,300 locations are outnumbered by something completely different: public libraries, of which there are more than 17,000 in the U.S. 

In addition to lending physical books, libraries offer everything from free internet access to language courses to streaming services. Some even have collections of objects, which allow anyone with a library card to check out musical instruments, cooking utensils, hardware tools, and other useful items they may not already own.

There are more McDonald’s locations in the U.S. than any other fast-food franchise.

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Subway has more than 20,000 locations, making it the biggest fast-food franchise in the country by that metric.

Though it’s practically synonymous with America, McDonald’s is a global chain. It operates more than 36,500 restaurants in more than 100 countries, meaning the U.S. accounts for fewer than half its locations. As there are more than 405,000 libraries in the world, they have McDonald’s beat there as well.

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