Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domainHow is Lower Burrell run?
Lower Burrell’s city government spent $9.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $847 per resident.
What stands out about how Lower Burrell is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $847 per resident a year, or $2.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$933 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Lower Burrell’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($933 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 $997, and the middle half spent $812–$1,266. Lower Burrell spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 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; Lower Burrell itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lower Burrell 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: $933 · 2023: $836 · 2024: $847.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,395 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.71% 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 Lower Burrell’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 Lower Burrell’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lower Burrell →
Who’s in charge in Lower Burrell
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lower Burrell’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoflowerburrell.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 322 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (11,585).
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.
Burrell School District
Lower Burrell’s K–12 school district, shared with Upper Burrell Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,851 per pupil, $10,783 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.
Lower Burrell’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lower Burrell alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Westmoreland County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.8%135,008 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.4%74,904 votesOthers: 0.7% (1,538 votes).
Most votes in Westmoreland County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Lower Burrell lies in Westmoreland County. Every 2024 race in Westmoreland County is on the county’s page.
Westmoreland 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 Lower Burrell.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoflowerburrell.com ↗
- 2Pennsylvania HouseLower Burrell 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 Lower Burrell compares with the towns next door
Lower Burrell spent $933 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1 to $969. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison Township | $1 | $2,698 |
| Upper Burrell Township | $632 | $2,964 |
| Allegheny Township | $637 | $3,094 |
| New Kensington | $708 | $2,233 |
| Tarentum | $834 | $1,691 |
| Plum | $969 | $3,948 |
| Lower Burrell | $933 | $3,395 |
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 Lower Burrell’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lower Burrell’s government
How much does Lower Burrell spend per resident?
About $847 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 $933 was less than 60% of 43 Pennsylvania cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lower Burrell?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,395 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.71% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoflowerburrell.com.
Who runs Lower Burrell’s government?
See cityoflowerburrell.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lower Burrell yet.
How did Lower Burrell vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lower Burrell alone. Westmoreland County, where 100% of Lower Burrell lies, voted Trump 63.8%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lower Burrell?
36 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $273,324 (about $3.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Lower Burrell in the state legislature?
Lower Burrell is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Pennsylvania Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 41 (Joe Pittman). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lower Burrell’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 →