Population
Reading
94,836
Merced
89,766
Median Income
Reading
$45,599
Merced
$59,938
Home Value
Reading
$109,800
Merced
$347,700
Rent
Reading
$1,018
Merced
$1,293
Crime Rate
Reading
3.38
Merced
7.85
Cost of Living
Reading
83.5
Merced
117.2
Avg Temp
Reading
N/A
Merced
N/A
Unemployment
Reading
12.1%
Merced
12.3%
How Similar Are Reading & Merced?
Merced is Reading's #23 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Reading
94,836
Merced
89,766
Both cities have similar populations — Reading at 94,836 and Merced at 89,766.
Violent Crime
Reading
3.38
Merced
7.85
Merced's violent crime is significantly higher than Reading's — 57% difference.
Property Crime
Reading
14.35
Merced
27.93
Merced has a 49% higher property crime than Reading.
Political Leaning
Reading
55.6%
Merced
50.9%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Reading
12.1%
Merced
12.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Reading
$45,599
Merced
$59,938
Merced has a 24% higher median income than Reading.
Home Values
Reading
$109,800
Merced
$347,700
Merced's home values is significantly higher than Reading's — 68% difference.
Education
Reading
7.0%
Merced
10.4%
Merced has a 33% higher education than Reading.
Demographics
Reading
30.1%
Merced
31.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Reading
83.5
Merced
117.2
Merced has a 29% higher cost of living than Reading.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Reading and Merced share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Reading
0
Merced
Cost of Living & Affordability — Reading leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDReading scores 91.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 151.8 in Merced. Reading scores 69.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 103.7 in Merced. Reading has a living wage (family of 4) of $86,859 vs $121,938 in Merced (29% lower).
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 — Merced leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerced has a median home value of $347,700 vs $109,800 in Reading (68% higher). Merced has a vacancy rate of 5.9% compared to 9.3% in Reading. Reading has a median property tax of $1,820 vs $2,443 in Merced (26% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMerced has a work from home of 7.9% compared to 5.0% in Reading. Merced has a median household income of $59,938 vs $45,599 in Reading (24% higher). Merced has a per capita income of $26,140 vs $21,394 in Reading (18% higher).
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 assault rate (per 1k) of 1.95 compared to 5.08 in Merced. Reading has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.33 compared to 5.69 in Merced. Reading has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.38 compared to 7.85 in Merced.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMerced has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.4% compared to 7.0% in Reading. Reading has a high school diploma or higher of 30.0% compared to 25.9% in Merced.
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 1.1x the size of Merced (89,766). Merced skews younger with a median age of 29.8 vs 31.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Reading
Merced
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareReading: 3.5 vs Merced: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Merced: 5 vs Reading: 2 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Merced leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSReading has a public transit of 3.9% compared to 0.8% in Merced. Merced has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.1% in Reading. Merced has a work from home of 7.9% compared to 5.0% 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.