Population
Reading
94,836
Harrisburg
50,092
Median Income
Reading
$45,599
Harrisburg
$47,783
Home Value
Reading
$109,800
Harrisburg
$121,000
Rent
Reading
$1,018
Harrisburg
$996
Crime Rate
Reading
3.38
Harrisburg
7.66
Cost of Living
Reading
83.5
Harrisburg
86.4
Avg Temp
Reading
N/A
Harrisburg
N/A
Unemployment
Reading
12.1%
Harrisburg
9.4%
How Similar Are Reading & Harrisburg?
Harrisburg is Reading's #5 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Reading
94,836
Harrisburg
50,092
Reading has a 47% larger population than Harrisburg.
Violent Crime
Reading
3.38
Harrisburg
7.66
Harrisburg's violent crime is significantly higher than Reading's — 56% difference.
Property Crime
Reading
14.35
Harrisburg
19.93
Harrisburg has a 28% higher property crime than Reading.
Political Leaning
Reading
55.6%
Harrisburg
46.5%
Reading leans Republican while Harrisburg leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Reading
12.1%
Harrisburg
9.4%
Reading has a 22% higher unemployment than Harrisburg.
Median Income
Reading
$45,599
Harrisburg
$47,783
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Reading
$109,800
Harrisburg
$121,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Reading
7.0%
Harrisburg
16.7%
Harrisburg's education is significantly higher than Reading's — 58% difference.
Demographics
Reading
30.1%
Harrisburg
32.5%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Reading
83.5
Harrisburg
86.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Reading and Harrisburg share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Reading
0
Harrisburg
Reading leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Reading leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHarrisburg has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,493 vs $1,575 in Reading (5% lower). Reading scores 69.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 73.0 in Harrisburg. Reading scores 91.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 95.8 in Harrisburg.
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 — Reading leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSReading has a median property tax of $1,820 vs $2,456 in Harrisburg (26% lower). Reading has a single-family homes of 64.5% compared to 58.6% in Harrisburg. Harrisburg has a median home value of $121,000 vs $109,800 in Reading (9% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSReading: 43,869 vs Harrisburg: 24,896 for labor force. Harrisburg has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 5.0% in Reading. Harrisburg has a unemployment rate of 9.4% compared to 12.1% 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 — Reading leads
Source: FBI UCRReading has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.30 in Harrisburg. Reading has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.95 compared to 5.14 in Harrisburg. Reading has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.38 compared to 7.66 in Harrisburg.
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 — Harrisburg leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauHarrisburg has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.7% compared to 7.0% in Reading. Harrisburg has a high school diploma or higher of 37.4% 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 1.9x the size of Harrisburg (50,092). Reading skews younger with a median age of 31.7 vs 32.8.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Reading
Harrisburg
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHarrisburg: 5 vs Reading: 2 for with emergency services. Reading: 3.5 vs Harrisburg: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Harrisburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHarrisburg has a work from home of 13.8% compared to 5.0% in Reading. Harrisburg has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Reading. Harrisburg has a public transit of 5.6% compared to 3.9% 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.