You’d think counting these things would be easy. One president, one library, right? Well, not exactly. If you're looking for a quick number to win a bar trivia night, the answer is usually 15. But if you're a history nerd or actually planning a road trip, that number starts to wiggle the second you look closer.
Honestly, the "official" count depends entirely on who you ask and how they define a library. Are we talking about the big, fancy buildings run by the federal government? Or do we count the private ones dedicated to guys like Abraham Lincoln or George Washington?
Depending on your criteria, the number of presidential libraries in the United States could be as low as 13 or as high as 50-plus. Let’s break down why this is such a headache to track and what’s actually worth visiting in 2026.
The "Official" NARA List: The Big 15
When people ask how many presidential libraries there are, they’re usually talking about the ones overseen by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). These are the "official" ones. They house the actual classified memos, the original letters, and the weird gifts from foreign dictators.
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As of early 2026, there are 15 official presidential libraries in the NARA system.
This system started with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Before him, presidents basically treated their papers like personal scrapbooks. They took them home, left them in barns, or in some cases, their heirs just burned them to protect the family reputation. FDR thought that was a terrible way to run a democracy. He built a library on his estate in Hyde Park, New York, and handed the keys to the federal government.
Here is the current roster of the NARA-operated libraries:
- Herbert Hoover (West Branch, IA)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (Hyde Park, NY)
- Harry S. Truman (Independence, MO)
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (Abilene, KS)
- John F. Kennedy (Boston, MA)
- Lyndon B. Johnson (Austin, TX)
- Richard Nixon (Yorba Linda, CA)
- Gerald R. Ford (Ann Arbor/Grand Rapids, MI)
- Jimmy Carter (Atlanta, GA)
- Ronald Reagan (Simi Valley, CA)
- George H.W. Bush (College Station, TX)
- William J. Clinton (Little Rock, AR)
- George W. Bush (Dallas, TX)
- Barack Obama (Hoffman Estates, IL - Archival facility only)
- Donald J. Trump (National Capital Region - Digital/Archival)
Now, you might notice something weird there. The Obama and Trump "libraries" aren't exactly like the others.
The Digital Shift: Obama and Beyond
The game changed with Barack Obama. He decided not to build a traditional NARA-run library facility. Instead, the National Archives manages his records digitally and in a non-public warehouse in Illinois, while the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago—which is set to fully open its doors in mid-2026—is a private museum.
It’s a bit of a "technicality" nightmare. If you go to the Obama Center in Chicago this summer, you're visiting a museum and a community hub, not a federal research room. Same goes for the Trump records; they are currently managed by NARA in the D.C. area, but there isn't a massive "Trump Library" building you can tour in the traditional sense yet.
What About the Guys Before Hoover?
This is where the count gets massive. If you want to see where Abraham Lincoln’s stuff is, you go to Springfield, Illinois. It’s huge. It’s high-tech. It’s beautiful. But it is not an official NARA library. It’s run by the State of Illinois.
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The same goes for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. That project has been a massive undertaking and is finally hitting its stride in 2026, but it’s a foundation-led project, not a federal one.
If we include these high-profile private and state-run sites, the list jumps:
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon has a state-of-the-art library (opened in 2013).
- The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Ohio was actually the first one ever built, but it’s run by the Ohio History Connection.
- Ulysses S. Grant has a library at Mississippi State University.
If you count every library, birthplace, and museum dedicated to a single president, you’re looking at over 50 sites.
Why Does This Matter for Travelers?
If you're planning to visit these, you should know that they aren't just dusty rooms full of books. They are essentially $100 million+ immersive museums.
For instance, at the LBJ Library in Austin, you can hear actual recordings of Johnson "leaning" on senators to pass civil rights legislation. It's intense. At the Reagan Library, you can literally walk through the actual Air Force One plane that flew seven different presidents.
Most of these libraries are strategically placed in the president's hometown or near their alma mater. This means they are often the "anchor" for a weekend trip.
- The Texas Trio: You can hit LBJ (Austin), George H.W. Bush (College Station), and George W. Bush (Dallas) in a single long weekend.
- The Midwest Loop: Hoover (Iowa), Truman (Missouri), and Eisenhower (Kansas) are all within a day's drive of each other.
The Cost of History
Building these things isn't cheap. Under the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, the president's team has to raise all the money to build the facility. Once it’s done, they "gift" it to the government.
But there’s a catch. Because the government has to pay for the electricity, the security, and the archivists forever, the law was changed in the 80s. Now, the president's foundation also has to provide a massive "endowment" (basically a giant pile of cash) to help NARA cover the operating costs.
This is why we’re seeing a shift away from the "Big Building" model. It's just getting too expensive to maintain these monuments.
How to Visit Them All
If you’re serious about seeing them, the National Archives actually offers a Presidential Libraries Passport. It’s a little booklet you can get stamped at each of the 15 official locations.
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Quick Tips for Your Visit:
- Research first: Some libraries require reservations for research, but the museums are generally walk-in.
- Check the hours: Because they are federal, they sometimes close for holidays that private museums don't.
- Look for the graves: Almost every presidential library (except a few like Kennedy and Ford) serves as the final resting place for the President and First Lady.
Basically, if you want the "real" answer to how many presidential libraries there are in the United States, tell them there are 15 official ones, but the 16th (Obama) and 17th (Theodore Roosevelt) are the ones everyone is talking about right now.
If you're looking to start your tour, I’d recommend beginning with the FDR Library in Hyde Park. It’s the "OG" of the system and sets the stage for everything that came after. You can see his customized Ford Phaeton and the secret ramp system he used. It’s a wild look at how much the presidency has changed.
Next Steps for Your Trip:
You should check the official National Archives (archives.gov) website for any temporary closures or "Semiquincentennial" (America's 250th birthday) special exhibits happening throughout 2026. Many libraries are currently loaning rare documents to each other for the celebration, so you might catch the Emancipation Proclamation in a city it doesn't usually inhabit.