Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Bethlehem spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Bethlehem’s city government spent $110.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,425 per resident. Water and other utilities ($14.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bethlehem is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Bethlehem
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: bethlehem-pa.gov ↗
Bethlehem’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bethlehem-pa.gov ↗.
About $1,425 per resident a year, or $3.90 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 16%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,354 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Bethlehem’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,354 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 925 Pennsylvania cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $647, and the middle half spent $401–$933. Bethlehem spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($15.5 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 cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bethlehem itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bethlehem 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: $1,354 · 2023: $1,470 · 2024: $1,425.
full-time in March 2025, up from 624 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,268 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.64% 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’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’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bethlehem →
One full-time city employee for every 120 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (77,617).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
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’s K–12 school district, shared with Bethlehem Township, 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’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bethlehem 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%
74% of Bethlehem lies in Northampton County; the rest in Lehigh 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.
- 1Your cityMayorJ. William Reynoldsas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Pennsylvania HouseBethlehem is split between 2 districts
- 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 compares with the towns next door
Bethlehem spent $1,354 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | $708 | $6,281 |
| Lower Saucon Township | $734 | $5,824 |
| Freemansburg | $884 | $3,546 |
| Salisbury Township | $977 | $4,940 |
| Bethlehem Township | $1,079 | $6,126 |
| Hellertown | $1,287 | $4,235 |
| Allentown | $1,433 | $3,829 |
| Hanover Township | $2,186 | $3,100 |
| Bethlehem | $1,354 | $4,268 |
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’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bethlehem’s government
How much does Bethlehem spend per resident?
About $1,425 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,354 was more than 92% of 925 Pennsylvania cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bethlehem?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,268 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.64% 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 is the mayor of Bethlehem?
J. William Reynolds, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on bethlehem-pa.gov.
How did Bethlehem vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bethlehem alone. Northampton County, where 74% of Bethlehem lies, voted Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bethlehem?
645 full-time and 108 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.4M (about $64.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bethlehem in the state legislature?
Bethlehem is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Pennsylvania Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 18 (Lisa Boscola). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bethlehem’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 →