Photo: AirportExpert · CC BY-SA 4.0Hobe Sound’s library is a branch of Martin County Library System, which lends less per resident than 56% of systems its size
Hobe Sound’s library is the Hobe Sound Public Library, a branch of Martin County Library System, which serves 162,740 people and lent 472K items last year.
The short version on Hobe Sound’s library
Twice the programs of a typical library its size
The Martin County Library System ran 3,848 programs last year, about 74 a week. That’s 24 per 1,000 residents, against a typical 9. People show up: 71,000 attended. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
64% of the 3,848 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 1,120 were for children. 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; Hobe Sound’s library is a branch of Martin County Library System, so they cover the whole system (162,740 people), not just the Hobe Sound branch.
What’s behind Hobe Sound’s civic life grade
Hobe Sound 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 Martin County Library System, 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 Hobe Sound
Hobe Sound is unincorporated, so its nonprofits aren’t counted: they file by mailing address, which doesn’t follow its boundary.
8.1%
8.1% of Hobe Sound’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 Hobe Sound’s residents live; 2022.
About 22 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.
Ahead of most similar-size libraries on 5 of 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Martin County Library System serves 162,740 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 37 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Martin County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
472K 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 Hobe Sound’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
Find it
Hobe Sound Public Library, 10595 Southeast Federal Highway, Hobe Sound.
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 $1.81 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Hobe Sound cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $5.9M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $11M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $5.9M 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 106,465 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobe Sound | Hobe Sound Public Library | — | 38 | — unincorporated |
| Jupiter Island | None of its own | — | — | — under 1,000 residents |
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. Hobe Sound Public Library is one branch of Martin County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 162,740 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 Hobe Sound
Does Hobe Sound have a public library?
Yes: Hobe Sound Public Library, 10595 Southeast Federal Highway, is a branch of Martin County Library System, which serves 162,740 people. The branch is open about 38 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Martin County Library System fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Hobe Sound’s library?
It logged 2.9 visits and lent 2.9 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Hobe Sound’s civic life grade?
Hobe Sound 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 Martin County Library System, so there is no town figure for visits. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Hobe Sound.
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.