Photo: Jared Kofsky/PlaceNJ.com · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Dickson City run?
Dickson City’s city government spent $5.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $985 per resident.
What stands out about how Dickson City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $985 per resident a year, or $2.70 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$985 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dickson City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($985 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. Dickson City spent more than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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; Dickson City itself left out).
No trend yet
Dickson City reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,647 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.86% 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 Dickson City’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 Dickson City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dickson City →
Who’s in charge in Dickson City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dickson City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on dicksoncityborough.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 229 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 (5,731).
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.
Mid Valley School District
Dickson City’s K–12 school district, shared with Olyphant, Throop. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,258 per pupil, $9,863 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.
Dickson City’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dickson City 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 Dickson City 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 Dickson City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: dicksoncityborough.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 Dickson City compares with the towns next door
Dickson City spent $985 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $480 to $1,552. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Township | $480 | $3,605 |
| Olyphant | $738 | $2,274 |
| Blakely | $920 | $1,830 |
| Throop | $1,552 | $1,863 |
| Dickson City | $985 | $1,647 |
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 Dickson City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dickson City’s government
How much does Dickson City spend per resident?
About $985 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 $985 was more than 65% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dickson City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,647 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.86% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dicksoncityborough.org.
Who runs Dickson City’s government?
See dicksoncityborough.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dickson City yet.
How did Dickson City vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Dickson City alone. Lackawanna County, where 100% of Dickson City lies, voted Harris 51.0%, Trump 48.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dickson City?
25 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $174,573 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dickson City 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 Dickson City’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 →