Photo: User:Cards84664 · CC BY-SA 4.0Erie spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Erie’s city government spent $184.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,972 per resident.
What stands out about how Erie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,688 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Erie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,688 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 925 Pennsylvania cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $647, and the middle half spent $401–$933. Erie spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($29.4 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 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Erie itself left out).
About $1,972 per resident a year, or $5.40 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Erie 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: $1,688 · 2023: $2,012 · 2024: $1,972.
full-time in March 2025, up from 643 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 $2,516 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.18% 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 Erie’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 Erie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Erie →
Who’s in charge in Erie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Erie’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on visiterie.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 139 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 (93,511).
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.
Erie City School District
Erie’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,805 per pupil, $10,878 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.
Erie’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Erie alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Erie County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.0%68,866 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.0%67,456 votesOthers: 0.9% (1,273 votes).
Most votes in Erie County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Erie lies in Erie County. Every 2024 race in Erie County is on the county’s page.
Erie 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 Erie.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: visiterie.com ↗
- 2Pennsylvania HouseErie is split between 2 districts
- 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 Erie compares with the towns next door
Erie spent $1,688 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Harborcreek Township | $361 | $3,421 |
| Wesleyville | $755 | $2,273 |
| Millcreek Township | $834 | $3,521 |
| Lawrence Park Township | $1,302 | $2,940 |
| Erie | $1,688 | $2,516 |
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 Erie’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Erie’s government
How much does Erie spend per resident?
About $1,972 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 $1,688 was more than 95% of 925 Pennsylvania cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Erie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,516 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.18% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see visiterie.com.
Who runs Erie’s government?
See visiterie.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Erie yet.
How did Erie vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Erie alone. Erie County, where 100% of Erie lies, voted Trump 50.0%, Harris 49.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Erie?
672 full-time and 57 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.1M (about $61.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Erie in the state legislature?
Erie is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Pennsylvania Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 49 (Dan Laughlin). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Erie’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 →