Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety84#150/924
Economy59#380/925
Housing24#699/925
Health80#184/925
Healthcare55#420/923
Environment12#804/917
Education46#498/925
Infrastructure55#417/925
Community76#227/925
Leisure & amenities39#563/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Reading, PA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Flu vaccinations · high53.0%
93/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · low122 /100k
86/100Pennsylvania 227 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high86.2%
83/100Pennsylvania 86.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · high$1,269
82/100Pennsylvania $1,429United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Suicide rate · low13.9 /100k
81/100Pennsylvania 14.2 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Median household income · high$79,777
81/100Pennsylvania $77,532United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high1.60%
6/100Pennsylvania 1.25%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Child care cost burden · high37.9%
12/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high3,728 /100k
14/100Pennsylvania 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.7 µg/m³
15/100Pennsylvania 8.3 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · high79%
16/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · low23.7%
20/100Pennsylvania 23.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 79% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+79 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
1.1 /1k (2021) → 2.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+128%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
High ozone daysImproving
1 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Child care cost burdenWorsening
25.6% (2020 & 2021) → 37.9% (2023 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Violent crime rateImproving
247 /100k (2020) → 122 /100k (2025)
−51%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
30.0 /100k (2021) → 15.5 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−48%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Reading, PA metro area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 6 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Property tax−0.4 points2.01% → 1.60%
Violent crime−51%247 /100k → 122 /100k
Unemployment−4.8 points9.2% → 4.4%
Overdose deaths−50%31.3 /100k → 15.5 /100k
High school++1.8 points86.7% → 88.4%

Declined9

Uninsured+1.6 points7.0% → 8.6%
Firearm deaths+27%10.0 /100k → 12.7 /100k
Restaurants−7.7%7.6 /10k → 7.0 /10k
Airport+12 mi32 mi → 44 mi
Transit use−0.6 points1.6% → 1.0%

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Reading, PA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.5 /10k2020	3.4 /10k2025	−4.5%	Little change	21%
Average commute time	25.2 min2015-2019	25.4 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	59%
Average weekly wage	$1,0672020	$1,2692025	+19%	Improved	15%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.9%2015-2019	27.7%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Improved	50%
Broadband subscriptions	82.6%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+7 points	Improved	25%
Child poverty rate	18.7%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Distance to an airport	32 mi2020	44 mi2025	+12 mi	Declined	2%
Drug overdose deaths	31.3 /100k2020	15.5 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−50%	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	2.01%2015-2019	1.60%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Improved	97%
Firearm deaths	10.0 /100k2020	12.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+27%	Declined	20%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+3.3%	Little change	63%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	21%
High school diploma or higher	86.7%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Improved	54%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	53%
Homicide rate	4.4 /100k2020	3.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−20%	Improved	43%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,2812019	$64,8492024	+26%	Improved	13%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4402015-2019	0.4462020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$63,7282015-2019	$79,7772020-2024	+25%	Improved	40%
New business applications	6.9 /1k2020	9.7 /1k2025	+39%	Improved	40%
Pharmacies	1.7 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−11%	Declined	45%
Poverty rate	12.0%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Property crime rate	1,175 /100k2020	789 /100k2025	−33%	Improved	48%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−4.1%	Little change	28%
Public transit commuters	1.6%2015-2019	1.0%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Declined	31%
Rent as share of income	30.3%2015-2019	31.1%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent-burdened households	50.7%2015-2019	52.0%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Restaurants and bars	7.6 /10k2020	7.0 /10k2025	−7.7%	Declined	17%
Suicide rate	12.6 /100k2020	13.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+10%	Declined	37%
Traffic deaths	10.1 /100k2015-2019	10.5 /100k2020-2024	+3.8%	Little change	55%
Unemployment rate	9.2%2020	4.4%2025	−4.8 points	Improved	91%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.0%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Declined	12%
Violent crime rate	247 /100k2020	122 /100k2025	−51%	Improved	94%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Reading, PA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Reading, PA metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Reading, PA metro area itself moved −2.6 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

433,015 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

163,236 households (±819)

Reading, PA metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%23,079
$25k–50k17%27,410
$50k–75k16%26,181

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

163,236 households (±819)

Reading, PA metro area
United States share

Own71%116,334
Rent29%46,902

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

208,255 workers (±2,057)

Reading, PA metro area
United States share

Drive alone74%153,069
Carpool9.0%18,830
Public transit1.0%2,017

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Reading, PA employ 41,700 people. 5 pay a median above the US median and 5 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Reading, PA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides5,820 jobs	5,820	$29,830US $35,800	−17%	1.2×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand5,280 jobs	5,280

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Reading, PA has 8,521 employer establishments, 196 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248), with 172,167 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,525. The Census Bureau also counts 30,812 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,521; 30,812 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 196; US 248
Paid employees: 172,167
Average annual pay: $57,525; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Reading, PA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	606	13.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	10,634	$19,275	262
Ambulatory health care services	596	13.7	0.66×Fewer than typical	9,960	$84,336	1,250
Specialty trade contractors	590	13.6	0.88×About typical	5,101	$77,374	2,178
Services to buildings and dwellings	359	8.3	1.22×About typical	2,598	$48,843	1,677
Religious organizations	287	6.6	1.19×About typical	2,511	$27,239	—
Full-service restaurants	274	6.3	0.82×About typical	5,176	$20,459	80
Limited-service restaurants	266	6.1	0.76×Fewer than typical	4,673	$18,224	147
Construction of buildings	257	5.9	0.78×Fewer than typical	1,766	$69,414	980
Automotive repair and maintenance	256	5.9	1.17×About typical	1,220	$43,911	524
Lessors of real estate	250	5.7	0.47×Fewer than typical	909	$112,314	2,807
Building equipment contractors	244	5.6	0.93×About typical	2,733	$81,247	422
Personal care services	240	5.5	1.16×About typical	1,240	$26,827	1,287

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 435,061 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $134.2M on contracts performed in Reading, PA metro area: $305 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $134.2M; −11% vs FY2025
Per resident: $305; US $1,994
Sole-source: 16%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.9%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$78.8M59%
Defense Logistics Agency$44.9M33%
Department of the Army$4.5M3.4%
Agricultural Marketing Service$1.6M1.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1.4M1.0%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1.3M1.0%
Federal Aviation Administration$994K0.7%
Environmental Protection Agency$240.2K0.2%

Top recipients

FIDELITY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, LLC$77.8M58%
GLOBAL ADVANCED METALS USA INC$35.5M26%
BALLY RIBBON MILLS$4.4M3.3%
CONTINENTAL TIDE DEFENSE SYSTEMS, INC.$4.1M3.0%
FROMM ELECTRIC SUPPLY OF READING, PENNA., LLC$2.4M1.8%

Spending by fiscal year

80.1MFY2017
52.3MFY2018
71.1MFY2019
95.5MFY2020
78.5MFY2021
118.4MFY2022
126.3MFY2023
134.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$74.1M55%
Nonferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing · 3314$35.5M26%
Fabric mills · 3132$4.6M3.4%
Ship and boat building · 3366$4M3.0%
Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing · 3333$3.5M2.6%
Dairy product manufacturing · 3115$1.6M

Largest awards

CHIEF OF NAVAL AIR TRAINING (CNATRA) CONTRACTOR INSTRUCTOR SERVICES (CIS) TASK ORDER AWARD$199.4M
FIDELITY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, LLC· Berks County, PA· Equipment maintenance· Feb 24, 2023 – Mar 26, 2026· N6134023F0289
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AVIATION TRAINING SYSTEMS CONTRACTOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES (COMS) CONTRACTOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES (CMS) CONTRACTOR INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES (CIS) AND, TRAINING SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT (TSM)$118.4M
FIDELITY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, LLC· Berks County, PA· Equipment maintenance· Aug 30, 2021 – Jan 22, 2026· N6134021F0141
SURFACE AND LCS COMS$104.3M
FIDELITY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, LLC· Berks County, PA· Equipment maintenance· Jun 29, 2019 – Jun 8, 2026· N6134019F0145

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.6B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Reading, PA metro area: $5,852 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.6B; −2.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,852; US $12,955
Loan face value: $77.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.8B68%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$229.9M8.9%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$134.7M5.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$129.8M5.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$85M3.3%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$37.1M1.4%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$37.1M1.4%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$20.1M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$87.4M3.4%
HARRISBURG, PA
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA$20.3M0.8%
KUTZTOWN, PA
READING HOUSING AUTHORITY$18.1M0.7%
READING, PA
READING AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$16M0.6%
READING, PA
BERKS COUNTY INTERMEDIATE UNIT 14

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$2.2B85%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$156.8M6.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$87.4M3.4%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$41.5M1.6%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$24.2M

Assistance by fiscal year

2.3BFY2021
2.2BFY2022
2.4BFY2023
2.5BFY2024
2.7BFY2025
2.6BFY2026

County aggregates

92%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Reading, PA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Berks CountyCentral county62440,072

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ReadingPrincipal city95,242

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Areas based in Pennsylvania, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M39740

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Reading, PA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Reading, PA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Pennsylvania

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought