George Taylor House · Photo: Allreet · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Catasauqua run?
Catasauqua’s borough government spent $10.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,571 per resident. Water and other utilities ($947,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Catasauqua is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $1,571 per resident a year, or $4.30 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$769 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Catasauqua’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($769 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $858, and the middle half spent $655–$1,098. Catasauqua spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($754,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Catasauqua itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 100% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Catasauqua 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: $769 · 2024: $1,571.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,964 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.89% 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 Catasauqua’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 Catasauqua’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Catasauqua →
Who’s in charge in Catasauqua
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 223 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 (6,480).
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.
Catasauqua Area School District
Catasauqua’s K–12 school district, shared with Hanover Township, North Catasauqua. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,624 per pupil, $12,280 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.
Catasauqua’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Catasauqua alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lehigh County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.7%96,317 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.1%91,207 votesOthers: 1.2% (2,286 votes).
Most votes in Lehigh County: Kamala D Harris
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Catasauqua lies in Lehigh County. Every 2024 race in Lehigh County is on the county’s page.
Lehigh 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 Catasauqua.
- 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 Catasauqua compares with the towns next door
Catasauqua spent $769 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Whitehall Township | $1,174 | $4,466 |
| Hanover Township | $2,186 | $3,100 |
| Catasauqua | $769 | $3,964 |
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 Catasauqua’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Catasauqua’s government
How much does Catasauqua spend per resident?
About $1,571 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 $769 was less than 59% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Catasauqua?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,964 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.89% 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 Catasauqua’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Catasauqua yet.
How did Catasauqua vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Catasauqua alone. Lehigh County, where 100% of Catasauqua lies, voted Harris 50.7%, Trump 48.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Catasauqua?
29 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $205,682 (about $2.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Catasauqua in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Nick Miller) and State House District 133 (Jeanne McNeill). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Catasauqua’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 →