Photo: Hshuvaeva · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Tamaqua run?
Tamaqua’s borough government spent $7.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,101 per resident. Water and other utilities ($775,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tamaqua is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $1,101 per resident a year, or $3.02 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$938 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Tamaqua’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($938 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. Tamaqua spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.3 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Tamaqua itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tamaqua 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: $938 · 2023: $1,101. Per resident it went from $938 to $1,101 (up 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 6,633 to 6,932.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,643 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.96% 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 Tamaqua’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 Tamaqua’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tamaqua →
Who’s in charge in Tamaqua
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough employee for every 385 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 2023 finance file (6,932).
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.
Tamaqua Area School District
Tamaqua’s K–12 school district, shared with Schuylkill Township, Walker Township, West Penn Township, Rush Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,833 per pupil, $9,496 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.
Tamaqua’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Tamaqua 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 Tamaqua 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 Tamaqua.
- 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 Tamaqua compares with the towns next door
Tamaqua spent $938 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Walker Township | $332 | $3,306 |
| Schuylkill Township | $414 | $1,475 |
| West Penn Township | $464 | $3,459 |
| Summit Hill | $596 | $2,051 |
| Coaldale | estimate | $1,949 |
| Tamaqua | $938 | $1,643 |
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 Tamaqua’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Tamaqua’s government
How much does Tamaqua spend per resident?
About $1,101 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $938 was more than 62% of 290 Pennsylvania cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tamaqua?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,643 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.96% 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 Tamaqua’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tamaqua yet.
How did Tamaqua vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Tamaqua alone. Schuylkill County, where 100% of Tamaqua lies, voted Trump 70.6%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tamaqua?
18 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $109,158 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Tamaqua in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Dave Argall) and State House District 124 (Jamie Barton). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tamaqua’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 →