Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Northampton run?
Northampton’s borough government spent $9.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $940 per resident.
What stands out about how Northampton is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $940 per resident a year, or $2.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$940 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Northampton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($940 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $856, and the middle half spent $655–$1,098. Northampton spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.7 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Northampton itself left out).
No trend yet
Northampton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,685 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.57% 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 Northampton’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 Northampton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Northampton →
Who’s in charge in Northampton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 253 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (9,852).
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.
Northampton Area School District
Northampton’s K–12 school district, shared with Allen Township, Bath, Chapman, East Allen Township, Lehigh Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,829 per pupil, $11,875 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.
Northampton’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Northampton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Northampton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican50.4%89,817 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat48.6%86,655 votesOthers: 1.0% (1,743 votes).
Most votes in Northampton County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Northampton lies in Northampton County. Every 2024 race in Northampton County is on the county’s page.
Northampton 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 Northampton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Northampton compares with the towns next door
Northampton spent $940 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $701 to $1,394. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Coplay | $701 | $3,500 |
| Allen Township | $744 | $4,546 |
| Whitehall Township | $1,174 | $4,466 |
| North Catasauqua | $1,394 | $3,338 |
| Northampton | $940 | $3,685 |
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 Northampton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Northampton’s government
How much does Northampton spend per resident?
About $940 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 $940 was more than 62% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Northampton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,685 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the borough’s assessor.
Who runs Northampton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Northampton yet.
How did Northampton vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Northampton alone. Northampton County, where 100% of Northampton lies, voted Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Northampton?
39 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $264,877 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Northampton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Nick Miller) and State House District 183 (Zach Mako). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Northampton’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 →