Lane House · Photo: Smallbones · CC0How is Mercersburg run?
Mercersburg’s borough government spent $647,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $424 per resident.
What stands out about how Mercersburg is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
Tuscarora School District
Mercersburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Montgomery Township, Peters Township, St. Thomas Township, Warren Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,043 per pupil, $10,565 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.
About $424 per resident a year, or $1.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$424 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Mercersburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($424 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 574 Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $484, and the middle half spent $300–$726. Mercersburg spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mercersburg itself left out).
No trend yet
Mercersburg reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,885 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.37% 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 Mercersburg’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Mercersburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mercersburg →
Who’s in charge in Mercersburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Mercersburg’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on mercersburg.org/borough ↗.
One full-time borough employee for every 153 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 2022 finance file (1,527).
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.
Mercersburg’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Mercersburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.1%59,604 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.1%23,543 votesOthers: 0.9% (737 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Mercersburg lies in Franklin County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.
Franklin 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 Mercersburg.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: mercersburg.org/borough ↗
- 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 Mercersburg compares with the towns next door
Mercersburg spent $424 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Peters Township | $216 | $2,617 |
| Montgomery Township | $338 | $3,466 |
| Mercersburg | $424 | $2,885 |
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 Mercersburg’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mercersburg’s government
How much does Mercersburg spend per resident?
About $424 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 $424 was less than 58% of 574 Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mercersburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,885 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.37% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mercersburg.org/borough.
Who runs Mercersburg’s government?
See mercersburg.org/borough for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mercersburg yet.
How did Mercersburg vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Mercersburg alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Mercersburg lies, voted Trump 71.1%, Harris 28.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mercersburg?
10 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $54,009 (about $648,108 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Mercersburg in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Doug Mastriano) and State House District 90 (Chad Reichard). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mercersburg’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 →