Northampton
Pop: 315,614
Budget$583M
Per Capita$1,847
Employees2,847
Mill Rate10.8
Bond RatingAa2
Lehigh
Pop: 374,557
Budget$712M
Per Capita$1,901
Employees3,245
Mill Rate11.2
Bond RatingAa2
Monroe
Pop: 170,271
Budget$198M
Per Capita$1,163
Employees892
Mill Rate7.25
Bond RatingA1
Bucks
Pop: 646,538
Budget$892M
Per Capita$1,380
Employees2,987
Mill Rate8.75
Bond RatingAaa
Berks
Pop: 428,849
Budget$485M
Per Capita$1,131
Employees2,156
Mill Rate6.85
Bond RatingAa3
Per Capita Spending Comparison
Efficiency Rankings
| Rank |
Metric |
Northampton |
Best in Class |
Peer Average |
Gap |
| 1st |
Bond Rating |
Aa2 |
Bucks (Aaa) |
Aa3 |
+1 notch above avg |
| 2nd |
Audit Compliance |
98% |
Lehigh (99%) |
94% |
+4% above avg |
| 2nd |
Grant Utilization |
89% |
Bucks (92%) |
81% |
+8% above avg |
| 3rd |
Cost Per Employee |
$204,800 |
Berks ($178,400) |
$195,200 |
+5% above avg |
| 4th |
Digital Services |
72% |
Bucks (91%) |
78% |
-6% below avg |
| 4th |
Response Time (Permits) |
8.2 days |
Lehigh (5.1 days) |
7.4 days |
+0.8 days slower |
Key Insights for Northampton County
- Strong financial management - Aa2 bond rating tied for best among peers
- High grant utilization rate (89%) indicates effective program management
- Audit compliance (98%) exceeds peer average by 4 percentage points
- Digital services adoption (72%) lags peer average - opportunity for efficiency gains
- Permit processing (8.2 days) slower than peers - workflow optimization needed
- Cost per employee 5% above average - review staffing ratios and compensation