How is Clarks Summit run?
Clarks Summit’s borough government spent $4.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $964 per resident.
What stands out about how Clarks Summit is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $964 per resident a year, or $2.64 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 51%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$964 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Clarks Summit’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($964 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 $856, and the middle half spent $655–$1,098. Clarks Summit spent more than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.4 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 of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clarks Summit itself left out).
No trend yet
Clarks Summit reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,076 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.74% 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 Clarks Summit’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 Clarks Summit’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clarks Summit →
Who’s in charge in Clarks Summit
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Clarks Summit’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on clarkssummitboro.org ↗.
One full-time borough employee for every 404 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 (4,843).
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.
Abington Heights School District
Clarks Summit’s K–12 school district, shared with Clarks Green, Glenburn Township, Newton Township, North Abington Township, Ransom Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,997 per pupil, $9,876 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.
Clarks Summit’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Clarks Summit alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lackawanna County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat51.0%59,510 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.3%56,261 votesOthers: 0.7% (819 votes).
Most votes in Lackawanna County: Kamala D Harris
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Clarks Summit lies in Lackawanna County. Every 2024 race in Lackawanna County is on the county’s page.
Lackawanna 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 Clarks Summit.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: clarkssummitboro.org ↗
- 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 Clarks Summit compares with the towns next door
Clarks Summit spent $964 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Clarks Green | $701 | $4,129 |
| South Abington Township | $817 | $4,382 |
| Waverly Township | $979 | $5,606 |
| Clarks Summit | $964 | $4,076 |
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 Clarks Summit’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Clarks Summit’s government
How much does Clarks Summit spend per resident?
About $964 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 $964 was more than 64% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clarks Summit?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,076 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see clarkssummitboro.org.
Who runs Clarks Summit’s government?
See clarkssummitboro.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clarks Summit yet.
How did Clarks Summit vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Clarks Summit alone. Lackawanna County, where 100% of Clarks Summit lies, voted Harris 51.0%, Trump 48.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clarks Summit?
12 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $96,639 (about $1.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clarks Summit in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Marty Flynn) and State House District 114 (Bridget Malloy Kosierowski). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clarks Summit’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 →