Local

What do borough council members in Centre County get paid? Here’s a full look

By Jacob Michael

May 26, 2026 5:33 AM

The Bellefonte Borough Council discusses a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. Jacob Michael jmichael@centredaily.com

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.

Council members do not receive a salary but may get annual or per-meeting pay.
State caps allowable annual pay based on borough population.
Reported local compensation ranges from $0 to $1,500 annually.

Serving on one Centre County’s 10 borough councils can be many things — collaborative, time-consuming and often times rewarding — but one thing it isn’t is lucrative.

Across Pennsylvania, borough council members are elected to view and approve development plans, create and pass ordinances, determine their borough’s annual budget, define long-term community goals and more.

Under Pennsylvania’s Borough Code, the allowable benefits for these council members include potential health insurance coverage, trainings and more, although they don’t receive a salary, or an hourly pay for that matter. What they can receive instead is annual compensation, or a small compensation per each meeting they attend, if any compensation at all.

If a borough opts for annual compensation for council members, the amount is determined by the population of the borough:

For a borough with under 5,000 residents, a council member may receive up to $3,145/year.
For 5,000-9,999 residents, a council member may receive up to $4,190/year.
For 10,000-14,999 residents, a council member may receive up to $5,450/year.
For 15,000-24,999 residents, a council member may receive up to $6,915/year.
For 25,000-34,999 residents, a council member may receive up to $7,335/year.
For 35,000 or more residents, a council member may receive up to $8,385/year.

In Centre County’s boroughs, the compensation amount varies from annual and per-meeting compensations to receiving no compensation at all. The Centre Daily Times recently reached out to all of them to ask about their specific ordinances that determine council members’ pay. A Right-to-Know request was filed for Port Matilda Borough’s compensation information.

Below is a full list of the compensation amounts, per borough, along with population and number of council members.

Bellefonte

Population: 5,862, according to census.gov

Number of council members: 9

Compensation amount: $1,500 per council member, annually