Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Wellton’s library is a branch of Yuma County Library District, which lends less per resident than 91% of systems its size
Wellton’s library is the Wellton Branch Library, a branch of Yuma County Library District, which serves 217,978 people and lent 432K items last year.
What Wellton’s library is like
Kids’ books are most of what goes out
Children’s books and media make up 63% of print loans. Per resident, kids’ borrowing is lower than at 85% of similar-size libraries, so the high share mostly reflects light borrowing by adults. What people borrow ↓
45% of borrowing happens on a screen
E-books, e-audiobooks and streaming make up 45% of loans. That’s partly because print borrowing is low: digital loans per resident are below typical too. What people borrow ↓
People visit, but borrow less than most
The Yuma County Library District system lends 1.1 print items per resident, against a typical 3.2 for libraries serving 100,000+ people, fewer than 91% of similar-size libraries, though visits are closer to typical. What people borrow ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; Wellton’s library is a branch of Yuma County Library District, so they cover the whole system (217,978 people), not just the Wellton branch.
What’s behind Wellton’s civic life grade
Wellton isn’t graded on civic life: its library is a branch of Yuma County Library District, so there is no town figure for visits and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
12 community nonprofits are registered in Wellton
4.8 per 1,000 residents, against a U.S. town median of 3.7. The largest group: civic groups, clubs & veterans.
Community nonprofits, by kind
Counted from the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations by mailing address (fractions where a ZIP code spans towns). Congregations are counted apart (4 here), since whether a church registers depends on its denomination, not the town.
45% of borrowing is digital
432K loans last year: print, kids’ and digital.
195,641 e-books, e-audiobooks and streams last year. Borrow from home with your card, plus research databases: courses, journals, genealogy and more.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 2 of 8 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Yuma County Library District serves 217,978 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 25 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Yuma County Library District system. The library’s own count.
About 15 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
Wellton Branch Library, 28790 San Jose Ave, Wellton.
No late fees. E-books and audiobooks from home. Loans renew on their own if no one’s waiting. Research databases: courses, journals, genealogy. Good at every Yuma County Library District branch.
New in Wellton? The Handbook →Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
What a library card is worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Wellton cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $9.7M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $6.7M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $9.7M budget.
Fine-free. No late fees on books returned late.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 60,918 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- System-wide. Wellton Branch Library is one branch of Yuma County Library District, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 217,978 people it serves.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Wellton
Does Wellton have a public library?
Yes: Wellton Branch Library, 28790 San Jose Ave, is a branch of Yuma County Library District, which serves 217,978 people. The branch is open about 43 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Yuma County Library District fine-free? Does it lend e-books?
Yes to both: no late fees, and e-books, audiobooks and research databases with a card (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Wellton’s library?
It logged 2.0 visits and lent 2.0 items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Wellton’s civic life grade?
Wellton isn’t graded on civic life: its library is a branch of Yuma County Library District, so there is no town figure for visits and the volunteering estimate doesn’t cover enough of it. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Wellton.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.