Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBig Beaver spent more per resident in 2022 than 89% of similar cities
Big Beaver’s borough government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $887 per resident.
What stands out about how Big Beaver is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
$994 per resident in 2022: more than 89% of them
Big Beaver’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($994 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 574 Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $483, and the middle half spent $300–$724. Big Beaver spent more than 89% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($474,000), 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 cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Big Beaver itself left out).
About $887 per resident a year, or $2.43 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Big Beaver 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: $994 · 2024: $887.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,715 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.46% 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 Big Beaver’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Big Beaver’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Big Beaver →
Who’s in charge in Big Beaver
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 203 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,826).
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.
Big Beaver Falls Area School District
Big Beaver’s K–12 school district, shared with Beaver Falls, Eastvale, Homewood, Koppel, New Galilee and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,708 per pupil, $10,559 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.
Big Beaver’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Big Beaver alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Beaver County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.9%56,837 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.2%37,196 votesOthers: 0.9% (810 votes).
Most votes in Beaver County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Big Beaver lies in Beaver County. Every 2024 race in Beaver County is on the county’s page.
Beaver 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 Big Beaver.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal 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 Big Beaver compares with the towns next door
Big Beaver spent $994 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $297 to $1,083. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| North Sewickley Township | $297 | $2,603 |
| New Beaver | $373 | $1,590 |
| Darlington Township | $475 | $2,188 |
| West Mayfield | $546 | $2,097 |
| Chippewa Township | $622 | $3,232 |
| Koppel | $626 | $2,125 |
| Beaver Falls | $1,083 | $1,401 |
| Big Beaver | $994 | $2,715 |
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 Big Beaver’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Big Beaver’s government
How much does Big Beaver spend per resident?
About $887 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 $994 was more than 89% of 574 Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Big Beaver?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,715 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the borough’s assessor.
Who runs Big Beaver’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Big Beaver yet.
How did Big Beaver vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Big Beaver alone. Beaver County, where 100% of Big Beaver lies, voted Trump 59.9%, Harris 39.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Big Beaver?
9 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $27,008 (about $324,096 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Big Beaver in the state legislature?
State Senate District 47 (Elder Vogel) and State House District 14 (Roman Kozak). The House district also covers 23 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Big Beaver’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 →