Bellview’s library is a branch of West Florida Public Libraries, which lends less per resident than 73% of systems its size
Bellview’s library is the Bellview Library, a branch of West Florida Public Libraries, which serves 334,119 people and lent 680K items last year.
Bellview’s library, in brief
Below typical on every measure
Against libraries serving 100,000+ people, the West Florida Public Libraries system sits below the middle on all five per-resident measures we compare, and in the bottom 30% on five. How it compares ↓
Few residents carry a card
Only 19% of the people the system serves have a library card, against a typical 41% for its size. How it compares ↓
Few programs for a library this size
The West Florida Public Libraries system offered 1,584 programs last year, 4.7 per 1,000 residents against a typical 9. Kids & programs ↓
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; Bellview’s library is a branch of West Florida Public Libraries, so they cover the whole system (334,119 people), not just the Bellview branch.
What’s behind Bellview’s civic life grade
Bellview isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of West Florida Public Libraries, so there is no town figure for visits.
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 →
Volunteering in Bellview
Bellview is unincorporated, so its nonprofits aren’t counted: they file by mailing address, which doesn’t follow its boundary.
6.0%
6.0% of Bellview’s Facebook users aged 25–44 belong to a volunteering or activism group, against 5.6% in the typical Florida town and 7.5% nationally.
Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. ZIP-code figures, weighted by where Bellview’s residents live; 2022.
Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
West Florida Public Libraries serves 334,119 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 38 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole West Florida Public Libraries system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
680K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Bellview’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 12 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
Bellview Library, 6425 Mobile Highway, Pensacola.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.54 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Bellview cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $7.9M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $12M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $7.9M budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
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 63,467 cardholders ÷ 12.
Libraries next door
Who has a library of their own, and how much each town borrows. Tap a town to see its library.
| Town | Library | Loans per resident | Hours | Civic life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellview | Bellview Library | — | 48 | — unincorporated |
| West Pensacola | Brownsville Community Center | — | — | — unincorporated |
| Myrtle Grove | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
| Brent | None of its own | — | — | — unincorporated |
Loans = print + digital items borrowed in the library’s fiscal year, per person it serves. — = no library of its own, a county or regional system (its numbers cover many towns), or no report. Civic life: — = not graded (unincorporated places, whose nonprofits can’t be placed by mailing address, or towns with fewer than two of the three inputs).
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. Bellview Library is one branch of West Florida Public Libraries, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 334,119 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 Bellview
Does Bellview have a public library?
Yes: Bellview Library, 6425 Mobile Highway, is a branch of West Florida Public Libraries, which serves 334,119 people. The branch is open about 48 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is West Florida Public Libraries fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Bellview’s library?
It logged 1.2 visits and lent 2.0 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Bellview’s civic life grade?
Bellview isn’t graded on civic life: it’s unincorporated, so its nonprofits can’t be counted reliably (mailing addresses don’t follow its boundary) and its library is a branch of West Florida Public Libraries, so there is no town figure for visits. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Bellview.
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.