METRO AREA · 2020 ACS
Reading Metro
Reading, PA · 1 counties · 428,849 residents · 856 sq mi
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The short version
Reading is a metro area of 428,849 people. 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 70% of homes are owner-occupied. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $187,600. The foreign-born share is 8%. The population is up 15% since 2000.
At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 40.4
US median: 38.8
Less educated
26% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
856 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024433K
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.4%(23,372)
5 to 96%(25,941)
10 to 146.6%(28,316)
15 to 197.1%(30,251)
20 to 246.6%(28,393)
25 to 3411.9%(50,966)
35 to 4411.5%(49,380)
45 to 5412.6%(54,083)
55 to 6414.1%(60,617)
65 to 7410.5%(44,998)
75 to 845.2%(22,375)
85 and over2.4%(10,157)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$66,154
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $44,714 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
44.6%
+12.3 ptssince 2009
from 32.2% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Retail trade18.4%
Information11.9%
Finance & insurance5.8%
Other services5.5%
Wholesale trade5.4%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
Public administration3.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.9%
Construction1.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
Education & health services1.3%
Manufacturing0.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$187,600
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $104,400 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
2.8
−6%since 2009
from 3.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic84.8%(317,025)
Black3.3%(12,478)
Hispanic / Latino9.7%(36,357)
Asian1%(3,713)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic67.9%(291,258)
Black4.2%(18,087)
Hispanic / Latino23.2%(99,550)
Asian1.5%(6,225)
Other2.3%(9,905)
54
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican10.8%(45,432)
Dominican4.6%(19,426)
Mexican3.2%(13,445)
South American1.1%(4,687)
Central American0.8%(3,459)
Colombian0.4%(1,542)
Spaniard0.3%(1,379)
Peruvian0.3%(1,277)
Ecuadorian0.3%(1,263)
Salvadoran0.3%(1,224)
Guatemalan0.3%(1,157)
Cuban0.3%(1,128)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(614)
Venezuelan0.1%(311)
Panamanian0.1%(261)
Argentine0%(187)
Nicaraguan0%(131)
Chilean0%(52)
Bolivian0%(49)
Costa Rican0%(13)
Uruguayan0%(6)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(1,967)
Chinese0.2%(1,047)
Vietnamese0.2%(860)
Korean0.2%(688)
Filipino0.2%(639)
Indonesian0%(107)
Japanese0%(102)
Sri Lankan0%(93)
Pakistani0%(87)
Cambodian0%(42)
Hmong0%(37)
Laotian0%(29)
Ancestry
German27.9%(116,715)
Irish10.4%(43,396)
Italian7.9%(33,002)
English5.7%(23,822)
Polish5.4%(22,484)
American4.1%(17,251)
Dutch1.7%(6,923)
French1.3%(5,607)
Welsh1.3%(5,267)
Scottish1.1%(4,425)
Swiss0.9%(3,664)
Russian0.6%(2,582)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Slovak0.6%(2,532)
Ukrainian0.6%(2,374)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(2,286)
West Indian0.5%(2,125)
Hungarian0.5%(1,969)
Greek0.4%(1,856)
Subsaharan African0.4%(1,811)
Swedish0.4%(1,738)
British0.4%(1,544)
Lithuanian0.4%(1,469)
Romanian0.3%(1,384)
Norwegian0.3%(1,069)
Jamaican0.3%(1,053)
Austrian0.2%(980)
French Canadian0.2%(939)
Czech0.2%(885)
Haitian0.1%(620)
Danish0.1%(498)
Canadian0.1%(494)
Portuguese0.1%(376)
Brazilian0.1%(287)
Nigerian0.1%(241)
Slovene0.1%(227)
Syrian0.1%(225)
Lebanese0%(192)
Finnish0%(187)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(185)
Australian0%(177)
Belgian0%(169)
Croatian0%(145)
Ethiopian0%(134)
Egyptian0%(128)
Barbadian0%(99)
Latvian0%(97)
Arab0%(94)
Armenian0%(94)
Serbian0%(58)
Ghanaian0%(54)
Iranian0%(50)
Moroccan0%(36)
Guyanese0%(35)
Bulgarian0%(12)
Macedonian0%(12)
Jordanian0%(9)
Turkish0%(8)
Israeli0%(3)
Kenyan0%(1)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
87.2%
+9.2 ptssince 2000
from 78.0% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
75.2%
US average: 73.3%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
89.6%
US average: 91.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married36.7%(64,170)
Married50.8%(88,966)
Widowed2.9%(5,031)
Divorced9.6%(16,792)
Women 15+
Never married31.3%(56,489)
Married48%(86,711)
Widowed9.3%(16,718)
Divorced11.4%(20,643)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
14.2%
US average: 13.7%
VA health care
1.8%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
71.2%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
36.9%
US average: 35.2%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)11.5%(2,464)
Gulf War (1990s)14.4%(3,085)
Vietnam era37.8%(8,113)
Korean War8.6%(1,854)
World War II4.3%(932)
Share of the 21,465 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
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In this metro
Largest cities
ReadingCENTRAL95,832Wyomissing11,285Blandon7,357Shillington5,542Pennside5,407Whitfield5,226Birdsboro5,161Lorane4,601West Reading4,590Sinking Spring4,584Reiffton4,575Hamburg4,551Amity Gardens4,499Laureldale4,352Boyertown4,333Kutztown4,255Kutztown University4,182Fleetwood4,094Jacksonwald3,894Riverview Park3,619West Wyomissing3,289Mount Penn3,269Kenhorst3,028Womelsdorf2,986Mohnton2,939Hyde Park2,846Wernersville2,831Robesonia2,181Temple2,135Topton2,062
The 30 most populous of 87 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.
What's inside
1 component county
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Reading, PA?
Reading, PA has about 428,849 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Reading, PA?
The typical household in Reading, PA earns about $66,154 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Reading, PA expensive?
In Reading, PA, the median home is worth about $187,600, and the typical rent is about $951 a month.
How educated are people in Reading, PA?
About 25.9% of adults age 25 and over in Reading, PA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Reading, PA?
About 11.7% of people in Reading, PA live below the federal poverty line.
Has Reading, PA grown since 1990?
Yes, Reading, PA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 92,326 residents, a change of about 27 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024