Photo: Mavisd · CC BY-SA 3.0Oil City spent more per resident in 2022 than 75% of similar cities
Oil City’s city government spent $12.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,352 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oil City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,100 per resident in 2022: more than 75% of them
Oil City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,100 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–$1,093. Oil City spent more than 75% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.2 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; Oil City itself left out).
About $1,352 per resident a year, or $3.70 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Oil City 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: $1,100 · 2024: $1,352.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,345 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.82% 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 Oil City’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 Oil City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oil City →
Who’s in charge in Oil City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Oil City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on oilcity.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 121 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (9,459).
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.
Oil City Area School District
Oil City’s K–12 school district, shared with Cornplanter Township, Oakland Township, Rouseville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,073 per pupil, $10,091 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.
Oil City’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Oil City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Venango County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.6%18,883 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.5%7,624 votesOthers: 0.8% (225 votes).
Most votes in Venango County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Oil City lies in Venango County. Every 2024 race in Venango County is on the county’s page.
Venango 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 Oil City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: oilcity.org ↗
- 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 Oil City compares with the towns next door
Oil City spent $1,100 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cornplanter Township | $540 | $1,403 |
| Sugarcreek | $541 | $1,174 |
| Cranberry Township | $738 | $1,641 |
| Oil City | $1,100 | $1,345 |
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 Oil City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Oil City’s government
How much does Oil City spend per resident?
About $1,352 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 $1,100 was more than 75% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Oil City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,345 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see oilcity.org.
Who runs Oil City’s government?
See oilcity.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oil City yet.
How did Oil City vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Oil City alone. Venango County, where 100% of Oil City lies, voted Trump 70.6%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Oil City?
78 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $357,077 (about $4.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oil City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Scott Hutchinson) and State House District 64 (Lee James). The House district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oil City’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 →