Population
Reading
94,836
Altoona
43,508
Median Income
Reading
$45,599
Altoona
$50,171
Home Value
Reading
$109,800
Altoona
$113,600
Rent
Reading
$1,018
Altoona
$789
Crime Rate
Reading
3.38
Altoona
3.35
Cost of Living
Reading
83.5
Altoona
80.8
Avg Temp
Reading
N/A
Altoona
N/A
Unemployment
Reading
12.1%
Altoona
6.8%
How Similar Are Reading & Altoona?
Altoona is Reading's #20 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Reading
94,836
Altoona
43,508
Reading (94,836) is about 2.2x larger than Altoona (43,508).
Violent Crime
Reading
3.38
Altoona
3.35
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
Reading
14.35
Altoona
18.50
Altoona has a 22% higher property crime than Reading.
Political Leaning
Reading
55.6%
Altoona
71.4%
Both cities lean Republican, but Altoona has a stronger Republican lean (22% difference).
Unemployment
Reading
12.1%
Altoona
6.8%
Reading has a 44% higher unemployment than Altoona.
Median Income
Reading
$45,599
Altoona
$50,171
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Reading
$109,800
Altoona
$113,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 3% difference.
Education
Reading
7.0%
Altoona
13.9%
Altoona has a 50% higher education than Reading.
Demographics
Reading
30.1%
Altoona
89.8%
Altoona's demographics is significantly higher than Reading's — 66% difference.
Cost of Living
Reading
83.5
Altoona
80.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Reading and Altoona share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Reading
0
Altoona
Altoona leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Altoona leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAltoona has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,138 vs $1,575 in Reading (38% lower). Altoona has a fair market rent (1br) of $948 vs $1,237 in Reading (30% lower). Altoona scores 75.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 91.9 in Reading.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Altoona leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAltoona has a owner-occupied of 64.2% compared to 39.7% in Reading. Altoona has a median property tax of $1,346 vs $1,820 in Reading (35% lower). Altoona has a median rent of $789 vs $1,018 in Reading (29% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Altoona leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSReading: 43,869 vs Altoona: 20,842 for labor force. Altoona has a unemployment rate of 6.8% compared to 12.1% in Reading. Altoona has a poverty rate of 18.8% compared to 27.0% in Reading.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Altoona leads
Source: FBI UCRAltoona has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.07 in Reading. Altoona has a property crime clearance of 27.0% compared to 10.8% in Reading. Altoona has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.73 compared to 1.00 in Reading.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Altoona leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAltoona has a bachelor's degree or higher of 13.9% compared to 7.0% in Reading. Altoona has a high school diploma or higher of 48.9% compared to 30.0% in Reading.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSReading has a population of 94,836, about 2.2x the size of Altoona (43,508). Reading skews younger with a median age of 31.7 vs 39.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Reading
Altoona
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAltoona: 4 vs Reading: 2 for with emergency services. Reading: 3.5 vs Altoona: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSReading has a public transit of 3.9% compared to 1.4% in Altoona. Reading has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Altoona. Altoona has a drive alone of 79.0% compared to 63.7% in Reading.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Reading, PA
Compare Reading against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.