Photo: Tc65306n · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Pottsville run?
Pottsville’s city government spent $14.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,065 per resident.
What stands out about how Pottsville is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Pottsville Area School District
Pottsville’s K–12 school district, shared with Mechanicsville, Mount Carbon, Norwegian Township, Palo Alto, Port Carbon. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,864 per pupil, $9,385 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 $1,065 per resident a year, or $2.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$948 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Pottsville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($948 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 Pennsylvania cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $997, and the middle half spent $812–$1,266. Pottsville spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Pottsville itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pottsville 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: $948 · 2023: $938 · 2024: $1,065.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,036 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.03% 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 Pottsville’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 Pottsville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pottsville →
Who’s in charge in Pottsville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pottsville’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on city.pottsville.pa.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 212 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 2024 finance file (13,338).
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.
Pottsville’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pottsville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Schuylkill County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.6%51,665 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.5%20,882 votesOthers: 0.9% (637 votes).
Most votes in Schuylkill County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Pottsville lies in Schuylkill County. Every 2024 race in Schuylkill County is on the county’s page.
Schuylkill 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 Pottsville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: city.pottsville.pa.us ↗
- 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 Pottsville compares with the towns next door
Pottsville spent $948 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $414 to $540. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| North Manheim Township | $414 | $3,483 |
| Palo Alto | $431 | $1,388 |
| Branch Township | $540 | $2,990 |
| Norwegian Township | estimate | $3,344 |
| Mechanicsville | estimate | $1,882 |
| Mount Carbon | estimate | $953 |
| Pottsville | $948 | $2,036 |
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 Pottsville’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pottsville’s government
How much does Pottsville spend per resident?
About $1,065 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 $948 was less than 58% of 43 Pennsylvania cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pottsville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,036 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see city.pottsville.pa.us.
Who runs Pottsville’s government?
See city.pottsville.pa.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pottsville yet.
How did Pottsville vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pottsville alone. Schuylkill County, where 100% of Pottsville lies, voted Trump 70.6%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pottsville?
63 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $381,692 (about $4.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Pottsville in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Dave Argall) and State House District 123 (Tim Twardzik). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pottsville’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 →