Coplay Cement Company Kilns · Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli · CC BY 2.0Coplay spent less per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Coplay’s borough government spent $2.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $701 per resident.
What stands out about how Coplay is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
$701 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Coplay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($701 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. Coplay spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($426,000), 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; Coplay itself left out).
About $701 per resident a year, or $1.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Coplay reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,500 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.62% 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 Coplay’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 Coplay’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Coplay →
Who’s in charge in Coplay
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 214 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 (3,217).
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.
Whitehall-Coplay School District
Coplay’s K–12 school district, shared with Whitehall Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,635 per pupil, $10,772 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.
Coplay’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Coplay 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 Coplay 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 Coplay.
- 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 Coplay compares with the towns next door
Coplay spent $701 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $940 to $1,174. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Northampton | $940 | $3,685 |
| Whitehall Township | $1,174 | $4,466 |
| Coplay | $701 | $3,500 |
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 Coplay’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Coplay’s government
How much does Coplay spend per resident?
About $701 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 $701 was less than 71% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Coplay?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,500 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.62% 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 Coplay’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Coplay yet.
How did Coplay vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Coplay alone. Lehigh County, where 100% of Coplay lies, voted Harris 50.7%, Trump 48.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Coplay?
15 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $88,664 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Coplay 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 Coplay’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 →