Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0Old Forge spent less per resident in 2022 than 73% of similar cities
Old Forge’s borough government spent $4.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $507 per resident.
What stands out about how Old Forge is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
$671 per resident in 2022: less than 73% of them
Old Forge’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($671 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 $858, and the middle half spent $655–$1,098. Old Forge spent less than 73% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($658,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Old Forge itself left out).
About $507 per resident a year, or $1.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Old Forge 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: $671 · 2023: $507. Per resident it went from $671 to $507 (down 24%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,838 to 8,552.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,254 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.29% 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 Old Forge’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 Old Forge’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Old Forge →
Who’s in charge in Old Forge
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 259 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 2023 finance file (8,552).
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.
Old Forge School District
Old Forge’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,338 per pupil, $10,997 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.
Old Forge’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Old Forge alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lackawanna County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat51.0%59,510 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican48.3%56,261 votesOthers: 0.7% (819 votes).
Most votes in Lackawanna County: Kamala D Harris
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Old Forge lies in Lackawanna County. Every 2024 race in Lackawanna County is on the county’s page.
Lackawanna 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 Old Forge.
- 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 Old Forge compares with the towns next door
Old Forge spent $671 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $467 to $916. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Duryea | $467 | $2,658 |
| Ransom Township | $627 | $3,530 |
| Taylor | $733 | $2,089 |
| Moosic | $916 | $3,059 |
| Old Forge | $671 | $2,254 |
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 Old Forge’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Old Forge’s government
How much does Old Forge spend per resident?
About $507 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 $671 was less than 73% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Old Forge?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,254 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.29% 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 Old Forge’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Old Forge yet.
How did Old Forge vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Old Forge alone. Lackawanna County, where 100% of Old Forge lies, voted Harris 51.0%, Trump 48.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Old Forge?
33 full-time and 19 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $265,523 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Old Forge in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Marty Flynn) and State House District 118 (Jim Haddock). The House district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Old Forge’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 →