How is Bear Creek Township run?
Bear Creek Township’s town government spent $1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $377 per resident.
What stands out about how Bear Creek Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Wilkes-Barre Area School District
Bear Creek Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Bear Creek Village, Buck Township, Laflin, Laurel Run, Plains Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,925 per pupil, $8,609 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Pennsylvania districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $377 per resident a year, or $1.03 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$377 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Bear Creek Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($377 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 466 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $420, and the middle half spent $306–$593. Bear Creek Township spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($166,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bear Creek Township itself left out).
No trend yet
Bear Creek Township reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,813 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.52% of the home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bear Creek Township’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Bear Creek Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bear Creek Township →
Who’s in charge in Bear Creek Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 548 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,739).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bear Creek Township’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bear Creek Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Luzerne County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.2%92,444 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.0%62,504 votesOthers: 0.8% (1,202 votes).
Most votes in Luzerne County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Bear Creek Township lies in Luzerne County. Every 2024 race in Luzerne County is on the county’s page.
Luzerne County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bear Creek Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Pennsylvania HouseState representatives
- 3Pennsylvania SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Pennsylvania
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bear Creek Township compares with the towns next door
Bear Creek Township spent $377 per resident in 2022; the 10 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $3 to $1,696. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Jenkins Township | $3 | $2,790 |
| Thornhurst Township | $153 | $3,367 |
| Buck Township | $200 | $3,024 |
| Dennison Township | $270 | $2,391 |
| Laurel Run | $367 | $667 |
| Fairview Township | $459 | $3,623 |
| Hanover Township | $863 | $2,436 |
| Plains Township | $961 | $2,301 |
| Kidder Township | $1,434 | $3,735 |
| Penn Lake Park | $1,696 | $3,457 |
| Bear Creek Township | $377 | $3,813 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Bear Creek Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bear Creek Township’s government
How much does Bear Creek Township spend per resident?
About $377 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $377 was less than 59% of 466 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bear Creek Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,813 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.52% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Bear Creek Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bear Creek Township yet.
How did Bear Creek Township vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bear Creek Township alone. Luzerne County, where 100% of Bear Creek Township lies, voted Trump 59.2%, Harris 40.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bear Creek Township?
5 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $22,715 (about $272,580 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bear Creek Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Dave Argall) and State House District 121 (Eddie Pashinski). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bear Creek Township’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →