Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Penn Township run?
Penn Township’s town government spent $868,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $405 per resident.
What stands out about how Penn Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Tulpehocken Area School District
Penn Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Bernville, Bethel Township, Jefferson Township, Tulpehocken Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,004 per pupil, $14,213 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 $405 per resident a year, or $1.11 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 59%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$405 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Penn Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($405 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 839 Pennsylvania towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $393, and the middle half spent $286–$580. Penn Township spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($29,000), 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 towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Penn Township itself left out).
No trend yet
Penn Township reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,271 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.31% 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 Penn Township’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 Penn Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Penn Township →
Who’s in charge in Penn Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 1,071 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 (2,141).
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.
Penn Township’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Penn Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Berks County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.6%116,677 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.4%91,125 votesOthers: 1.0% (2,036 votes).
Most votes in Berks County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Penn Township lies in Berks County. Every 2024 race in Berks County is on the county’s page.
Berks 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 Penn Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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 Penn Township compares with the towns next door
Penn Township spent $405 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $191 to $909. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | $191 | $5,157 |
| Centre Township | $214 | $3,769 |
| Upper Tulpehocken Township | $444 | $4,109 |
| North Heidelberg Township | $485 | $5,328 |
| Bern Township | $663 | $5,265 |
| Bernville | $892 | $3,161 |
| Lower Heidelberg Township | $909 | $7,526 |
| Penn Township | $405 | $4,271 |
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 Penn Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Penn Township’s government
How much does Penn Township spend per resident?
About $405 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 $405 was more than 53% of 839 Pennsylvania towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Penn Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,271 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Penn Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Penn Township yet.
How did Penn Township vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Penn Township alone. Berks County, where 100% of Penn Township lies, voted Trump 55.6%, Harris 43.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Penn Township?
2 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,450 (about $221,400 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Penn Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 48 (Chris Gebhard) and State House District 5 (Eric Weaknecht). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Penn Township’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 →