Town Hall · Swarthmore

Swarthmore, PA town hall & government

Swarthmore spent $6 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $934 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Swarthmore's government.

Town budget

Where Swarthmore's money goes

Spent
$6 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$934
typical Pennsylvania cities: $923
Long-term debt
$801,000
$126 per resident
Sewer & trash
$1.6 million27%
Police
$1.4 million23%
Administration & buildings
$921,00015%
Roads & transportation
$541,0009%
Parks & libraries
$385,0006%
Fire
$363,0006%
Interest on debt
$37,0001%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$35,0001%
Housing & development
$26,000<1%
Health & welfare
$2,000<1%
Other
$657,00011%

Where the money comes from

  • Fees & charges 42%
  • Property taxes 36%
  • Other taxes & licenses 8%
  • From the federal government 6%
  • From the state 5%
  • Interest, fines & other 3%
  • From other local governments <1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Swarthmore

Full-time staff
15
8 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$96,500
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
9
full-time, with power of arrest
Police
9 full-time6 part
Roads & transportation
4 full-time1 part
Administration & buildings
2 full-time1 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Swarthmore didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Wallingford-Swarthmore School District

Swarthmore's K–12 school district, shared with Nether Providence, Rose Valley and Rutledge. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$23,671
Pennsylvania: $21,758
Students
3,707
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$44.3 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Pennsylvania districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal

  • Local 79%
  • State 20%
  • Federal 1%

Of the $23,671 per pupil, $14,890 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Swarthmore pay

Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year · Pennsylvania typical $3,311
Typical home value
$633,800
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Swarthmore's government

🏛️ Official websiteswarthmorepa.org ↗

Town hall & decisions in Swarthmore →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Swarthmore

Swarthmore is represented in Congress by Senators John Fetterman and David McCormick and Representative Mary Gay Scanlon. Josh Shapiro is governor.

All of Swarthmore's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Swarthmore

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