Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Lower Swatara Township spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar towns
Lower Swatara Township’s town government spent $10.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,088 per resident.
What stands out about how Lower Swatara Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$983 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Lower Swatara Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($983 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 466 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $419, and the middle half spent $306–$592. Lower Swatara Township spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 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 towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lower Swatara Township itself left out).
About $1,088 per resident a year, or $2.98 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lower Swatara Township 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: $983 · 2023: $1,088.
full-time in March 2025, up from 33 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,867 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.65% 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 Swatara Township’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 Swatara Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lower Swatara Township →
Who’s in charge in Lower Swatara Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 273 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (9,564).
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.
Middletown Area School District
Lower Swatara Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Middletown, Royalton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,893 per pupil, $11,283 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 Swatara Township’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lower Swatara Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dauphin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.4%78,327 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.5%69,474 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,725 votes).
Most votes in Dauphin County: Kamala D Harris
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Lower Swatara Township lies in Dauphin County. Every 2024 race in Dauphin County is on the county’s page.
Dauphin 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 Swatara Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Pennsylvania HouseLower Swatara Township 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 Swatara Township compares with the towns next door
Lower Swatara Township spent $983 per resident in 2022; the 8 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $480 to $1,751. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Newberry Township | $480 | $3,155 |
| Fairview Township | $641 | $3,581 |
| Swatara Township | $764 | $2,769 |
| Derry Township | $818 | $5,041 |
| Londonderry Township | $888 | $2,734 |
| Middletown | $898 | $2,815 |
| Steelton | $1,104 | $2,502 |
| Highspire | $1,751 | $3,549 |
| Lower Swatara Township | $983 | $3,867 |
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 Swatara Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lower Swatara Township’s government
How much does Lower Swatara Township spend per resident?
About $1,088 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $983 was more than 95% of 466 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lower Swatara Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,867 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Lower Swatara Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lower Swatara Township yet.
How did Lower Swatara Township vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lower Swatara Township alone. Dauphin County, where 100% of Lower Swatara Township lies, voted Harris 52.4%, Trump 46.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lower Swatara Township?
35 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $263,976 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lower Swatara Township in the state legislature?
Lower Swatara Township is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Pennsylvania Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 15 (Patty Kim). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lower Swatara Township’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 →