Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0Palmerton spent less per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Palmerton’s borough government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $696 per resident. Water and other utilities ($937,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Palmerton is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
$717 per resident in 2022: less than 68% of them
Palmerton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($717 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. Palmerton spent less than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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; Palmerton itself left out).
About $696 per resident a year, or $1.91 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Palmerton 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: $717 · 2023: $696. Per resident it went from $717 to $696 (down 3%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 5,321 to 5,658.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,085 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.71% 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 Palmerton’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 Palmerton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Palmerton →
Who’s in charge in Palmerton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 257 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (5,658).
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.
Palmerton Area School District
Palmerton’s K–12 school district, shared with Bowmanstown, Lower Towamensing Township, Towamensing Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,747 per pupil, $11,465 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.
Palmerton’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Palmerton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Carbon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican67.0%23,708 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.2%11,394 votesOthers: 0.8% (293 votes).
Most votes in Carbon County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Palmerton lies in Carbon County. Every 2024 race in Carbon County is on the county’s page.
Carbon 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 Palmerton.
- 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 Palmerton compares with the towns next door
Palmerton spent $717 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $541 to $857. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| East Penn Township | $541 | $3,665 |
| Bowmanstown | $857 | $3,363 |
| Lower Towamensing Township | estimate | $3,760 |
| Palmerton | $717 | $3,085 |
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 Palmerton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Palmerton’s government
How much does Palmerton spend per resident?
About $696 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 $717 was less than 68% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Palmerton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,085 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.71% 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 Palmerton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Palmerton yet.
How did Palmerton vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Palmerton alone. Carbon County, where 100% of Palmerton lies, voted Trump 67.0%, Harris 32.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Palmerton?
22 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $142,427 (about $1.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Palmerton in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Dave Argall) and State House District 122 (Doyle Heffley). The House district also covers 22 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Palmerton’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 →