Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Bethlehem Township spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar towns
Bethlehem Township’s town government spent $24.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $940 per resident.
What stands out about how Bethlehem Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,079 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them
Bethlehem Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,079 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 147 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $717, and the middle half spent $484–$951. Bethlehem Township spent more than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($8.5 million), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bethlehem Township itself left out).
About $940 per resident a year, or $2.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bethlehem Township reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,079 · 2023: $940. Per resident it went from $1,079 to $940 (down 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 24,549 to 25,966.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,126 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.63% 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 Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bethlehem Township →
Who’s in charge in Bethlehem Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bethlehem Township’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bethlehem-pa.gov ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 302 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (25,966).
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.
Bethlehem Area School District
Bethlehem Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Bethlehem, Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, Hanover Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,980 per pupil, $11,520 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.
Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Northampton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.4%89,817 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat48.6%86,655 votesOthers: 1.0% (1,743 votes).
Most votes in Northampton County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Bethlehem Township lies in Northampton County. Every 2024 race in Northampton County is on the county’s page.
Northampton 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 Bethlehem Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bethlehem-pa.gov ↗
- 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 Bethlehem Township compares with the towns next door
Bethlehem Township spent $1,079 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $734 to $1,354. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Saucon Township | $734 | $5,824 |
| Freemansburg | $884 | $3,546 |
| Lower Nazareth Township | $999 | $6,102 |
| Palmer Township | $1,215 | $5,330 |
| Bethlehem | $1,354 | $4,268 |
| Easton | estimate | $3,294 |
| Bethlehem Township | $1,079 | $6,126 |
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 Bethlehem Township’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bethlehem Township’s government
How much does Bethlehem Township spend per resident?
About $940 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,079 was more than 83% of 147 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bethlehem Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,126 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.63% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bethlehem-pa.gov.
Who runs Bethlehem Township’s government?
See bethlehem-pa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bethlehem Township yet.
How did Bethlehem Township vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bethlehem Township alone. Northampton County, where 100% of Bethlehem Township lies, voted Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bethlehem Township?
86 full-time and 110 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $637,838 (about $7.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bethlehem Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 18 (Lisa Boscola) and State House District 137 (Joe Emrick). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bethlehem 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 →