Population ~5,550 | 27 square miles
There’s a natural gas-fired power plant on Sewickley Township’s doorstep — the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station in neighboring South Huntingdon — and it runs on Marcellus Shale gas extracted from formations that extend right under this township. The infrastructure is already here. The energy demand is already here. The only question is whether Sewickley Township’s landowners and municipal government share in what’s under their feet — or watch that value flow elsewhere.
BY THE NUMBERS
POPULATION:
~5,550 — declining slowly, down from 5,647 in 2020
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME:
$75,133 — near the county median, with 14.2% of residents below the poverty line
PER CAPITA INCOME:
$35,821 — approximately 80% of the state average; additional household income has outsized impact here
AREA:
27 square miles — compact footprint with limited commercial development
Settled in 1778 — an established agricultural community with deep land ownership traditions
Limited commercial tax base means the township’s revenue depends heavily on residential property and earned income taxes
The Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station in adjacent South Huntingdon is fueled by Marcellus Shale gas — the same formation beneath Sewickley Township
In peak years, Westmoreland municipalities collectively received more than $2 million in Act 13 direct distributions — townships with active wells receive the largest per-resident shares
WHY IT MATTERS HERE
Sewickley Township is, in the words of a township supervisor, ‘very amicable’ to energy development — and operators respond accordingly. Wells mean direct lease income for landowners and direct impact fee revenue for the township government. In a community with limited commercial tax base, both are significant.
At 14.2% poverty rate, Sewickley has a higher share of residents in financial hardship than the county average. Lease income and royalties for landowners — plus township impact fee revenue — directly address that gap without requiring a tax increase.
The Kiskiminetas River runs along the township’s edge. PA DEP setback requirements and water protection standards apply to every permitted well. These are enforced conditions of the permit, not suggestions. Sewickley’s water is protected by law.
With a small population spread across 27 square miles, the per-resident value of impact fee distributions is higher here than in larger townships. Every dollar the state sends to Sewickley goes further.