Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Salem Township run?
Salem Township’s town government spent $2.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $485 per resident.
What stands out about how Salem Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Greensburg Salem School District
Salem Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Southwest Greensburg, Greensburg, South Greensburg, Delmont. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,033 per pupil, $10,894 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 $485 per resident a year, or $1.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 51%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$443 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Salem Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($443 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 466 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $419, and the middle half spent $306–$593. Salem Township spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Salem Township itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Salem Township 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: $443 · 2024: $485. Per resident it went from $443 to $485 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 6,367 to 6,018.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,791 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.00% 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 Salem 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.
Tax bills are one input to Salem Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Salem Township →
Who’s in charge in Salem Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 602 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (6,018).
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.
Salem 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 Salem Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Westmoreland County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.8%135,008 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.4%74,904 votesOthers: 0.7% (1,538 votes).
Most votes in Westmoreland County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Salem Township lies in Westmoreland County. Every 2024 race in Westmoreland County is on the county’s page.
Westmoreland 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 Salem 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 Salem Township compares with the towns next door
Salem Township spent $443 per resident in 2022; the 9 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $208 to $752. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Township | $208 | $1,760 |
| Loyalhanna Township | $278 | $1,810 |
| Derry Township | $288 | $2,100 |
| Hempfield Township | $402 | $2,650 |
| Unity Township | $425 | $3,113 |
| Washington Township | $501 | $2,736 |
| Penn Township | $536 | $3,725 |
| Murrysville | $591 | $4,931 |
| Delmont | $752 | $3,586 |
| New Alexandria | estimate | $2,241 |
| Salem Township | $443 | $1,791 |
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 Salem Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Salem Township’s government
How much does Salem Township spend per resident?
About $485 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 $443 was more than 55% of 466 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Salem Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,791 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.00% 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 Salem Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Salem Township yet.
How did Salem Township vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Salem Township alone. Westmoreland County, where 100% of Salem Township lies, voted Trump 63.8%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Salem Township?
10 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $53,598 (about $643,176 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Salem Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 39 (Kim Ward) and State House District 55 (Jill Cooper). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Salem 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 →