Steelton High School · Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ. M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Swatara Township spent less per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar towns
Swatara Township’s town government spent $19.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $764 per resident.
What stands out about how Swatara Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$764 per resident in 2022: less than 80% of them
Swatara Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($764 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $923, and the middle half spent $784–$1,094. Swatara Township spent less than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($967,000), 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Swatara Township itself left out).
About $764 per resident a year, or $2.09 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 48%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Swatara Township reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,769 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.29% 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 Swatara 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 Swatara Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Swatara Township →
Who’s in charge in Swatara Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 286 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 (25,124).
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.
Central Dauphin School District
Swatara Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Dauphin, Lower Paxton Township, Middle Paxton Township, Paxtang, Penbrook and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,282 per pupil, $10,337 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.
Swatara 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 Swatara Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dauphin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat52.4%78,327 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.5%69,474 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,725 votes).
Most votes in Dauphin County: Kamala D Harris
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Swatara Township lies in Dauphin County. Every 2024 race in Dauphin County is on the county’s page.
Dauphin 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 Swatara 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 Swatara Township compares with the towns next door
Swatara Township spent $764 per resident in 2022; the 8 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $459 to $1,104. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| South Hanover Township | $459 | $4,842 |
| Lower Paxton Township | $548 | $3,376 |
| Fairview Township | $641 | $3,581 |
| New Cumberland | $751 | $2,522 |
| Derry Township | $818 | $5,041 |
| Paxtang | $927 | $3,313 |
| Lower Swatara Township | $983 | $3,867 |
| Steelton | $1,104 | $2,502 |
| Harrisburg | estimate | $2,370 |
| Swatara Township | $764 | $2,769 |
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 Swatara Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Swatara Township’s government
How much does Swatara Township spend per resident?
About $764 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 $764 was less than 80% of 35 Pennsylvania towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Swatara Township?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,769 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.29% 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 Swatara Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Swatara Township yet.
How did Swatara Township vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Swatara Township alone. Dauphin County, where 100% of Swatara Township lies, voted Harris 52.4%, Trump 46.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Swatara Township?
88 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $696,095 (about $8.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Swatara Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Patty Kim) and State House District 104 (Dave Madsen). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Swatara 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 →