Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Rochester run?
Rochester’s borough government spent $3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $873 per resident.
What stands out about how Rochester is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
Rochester Area School District
Rochester’s K–12 school district, shared with East Rochester, Rochester Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,939 per pupil, $13,940 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 $873 per resident a year, or $2.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 45%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$873 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Rochester’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($873 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–$1,098. Rochester spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($366,000), 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; Rochester itself left out).
No trend yet
Rochester reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,366 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 Rochester’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 Rochester’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rochester →
Who’s in charge in Rochester
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 284 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (3,406).
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.
Rochester’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Rochester alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Beaver County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.9%56,837 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.2%37,196 votesOthers: 0.9% (810 votes).
Most votes in Beaver County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Rochester lies in Beaver County. Every 2024 race in Beaver County is on the county’s page.
Beaver 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 Rochester.
- 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 Rochester compares with the towns next door
Rochester spent $873 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $625 to $1,097. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Rochester Township | $625 | $2,577 |
| East Rochester | $745 | $2,183 |
| Monaca | $1,022 | $2,221 |
| Bridgewater | $1,097 | $2,333 |
| Rochester | $873 | $2,366 |
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 Rochester’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Rochester’s government
How much does Rochester spend per resident?
About $873 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 $873 was more than 53% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rochester?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,366 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 the borough’s assessor.
Who runs Rochester’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rochester yet.
How did Rochester vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Rochester alone. Beaver County, where 100% of Rochester lies, voted Trump 59.9%, Harris 39.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Rochester?
12 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $91,123 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rochester in the state legislature?
State Senate District 47 (Elder Vogel) and State House District 16 (Rob Matzie). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rochester’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 →