Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0Ephrata spent more per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
Ephrata’s borough government spent $20.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,492 per resident. Water and other utilities ($16 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ephrata is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
$1,474 per resident in 2022: more than 93% of them
Ephrata’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,474 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 Pennsylvania cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $986, and the middle half spent $812–$1,263. Ephrata spent more than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($4.7 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ephrata itself left out).
About $1,492 per resident a year, or $4.09 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ephrata 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: $1,474 · 2024: $1,492.
full-time in March 2025, down from 85 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,349 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.49% 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 Ephrata’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 Ephrata’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ephrata →
Who’s in charge in Ephrata
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ephrata’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on ephrataboro.org ↗.
One full-time borough employee for every 163 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (13,693).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Ephrata Area School District
Ephrata’s K–12 school district, shared with Akron, Clay Township, Ephrata Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,352 per pupil, $10,811 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.
Ephrata’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Ephrata alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lancaster County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.5%166,261 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.5%120,119 votesOthers: 1.0% (2,877 votes).
Most votes in Lancaster County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Ephrata lies in Lancaster County. Every 2024 race in Lancaster County is on the county’s page.
Lancaster 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 Ephrata.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ephrataboro.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 Ephrata compares with the towns next door
Ephrata spent $1,474 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $354 to $783. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ephrata Township | $354 | $4,606 |
| Akron | $783 | $3,879 |
| Ephrata | $1,474 | $3,349 |
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 Ephrata’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ephrata’s government
How much does Ephrata spend per resident?
About $1,492 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 $1,474 was more than 93% of 43 Pennsylvania cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ephrata?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,349 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ephrataboro.org.
Who runs Ephrata’s government?
See ephrataboro.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ephrata yet.
How did Ephrata vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Ephrata alone. Lancaster County, where 100% of Ephrata lies, voted Trump 57.5%, Harris 41.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ephrata?
84 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $812,619 (about $9.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Ephrata in the state legislature?
State Senate District 36 (James Malone) and State House District 43 (Keith Greiner). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ephrata’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 →