Population

Reading

94,836

Scranton

76,074

Median Income

Reading

$45,599

Scranton

$49,531

Home Value

Reading

$109,800

Scranton

$141,700

Rent

Reading

$1,018

Scranton

$991

Crime Rate

Reading

3.38

Scranton

2.81

Cost of Living

Reading

83.5

Scranton

89.8

Avg Temp

Reading

N/A

Scranton

N/A

Unemployment

Reading

12.1%

Scranton

5.5%

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How Similar Are Reading & Scranton?

Scranton is Reading's #14 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Reading

94,836

vs

Scranton

76,074

Different · 20% difference

Reading has a 20% larger population than Scranton.

Violent Crime

Reading

3.38

vs

Scranton

2.81

Different · 17% difference
🚨

Reading has a 17% higher violent crime than Scranton.

Property Crime

🔒

Reading

14.35

vs

Scranton

13.45

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.

Political Leaning

Reading

55.6%

vs

Scranton

48.3%

Different · 13% difference
🗳️

Reading leans Republican while Scranton leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Reading

12.1%

vs

Scranton

5.5%

Different · 55% difference

Reading's unemployment is significantly higher than Scranton's — 55% difference.

Median Income

Reading

$45,599

vs

Scranton

$49,531

Match · 8% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Reading

$109,800

vs

Scranton

$141,700

Different · 23% difference

Scranton has a 23% higher home values than Reading.

Education

Reading

7.0%

vs

Scranton

15.1%

Different · 54% difference
🎓

Scranton's education is significantly higher than Reading's — 54% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Reading

30.1%

vs

Scranton

71.6%

Different · 58% difference

Scranton's demographics is significantly higher than Reading's — 58% difference.

Cost of Living

Reading

83.5

vs

Scranton

89.8

Match · 7% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Reading and Scranton differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Reading

vsof 8

0

Scranton

Scranton leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Reading leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Scranton has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,252 vs $1,575 in Reading (26% lower). Scranton has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,028 vs $1,237 in Reading (20% lower). Reading scores 91.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 101.6 in Scranton.

Overall Cost Index

Reading83.5
Scranton89.8

Housing Index

Reading91.9
Scranton101.6

Food Index

Reading84.9
Scranton87.9

Transportation Index

Reading69.7
Scranton75.7

Healthcare Index

Reading87.9
Scranton90.3

Utilities Index

Reading89.3
Scranton93.0

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Reading$36,748
Scranton$39,499

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Reading$86,859
Scranton$93,361

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Reading$1,237
Scranton$1,028

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Reading$1,575
Scranton$1,252

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a median property tax of $1,820 vs $2,952 in Scranton (38% lower). Reading has a vacancy rate of 9.3% compared to 14.8% in Scranton. Scranton has a median home value of $141,700 vs $109,800 in Reading (23% higher).

Median Home Value

Reading$109,800
Scranton$141,700

Median Rent

Reading$1,018
Scranton$991

Median Property Tax

Reading$1,820
Scranton$2,952

Owner-Occupied

Reading39.7%
Scranton50.7%

Vacancy Rate

Reading9.3%
Scranton14.8%

Single-Family Homes

Reading64.5%
Scranton59.8%

Jobs & Economy — Scranton leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Scranton has a unemployment rate of 5.5% compared to 12.1% in Reading. Scranton has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 5.0% in Reading. Scranton has a per capita income of $28,654 vs $21,394 in Reading (25% higher).

Median Household Income

Reading$45,599
Scranton$49,531

Per Capita Income

Reading$21,394
Scranton$28,654

Poverty Rate

Reading27.0%
Scranton22.0%

Unemployment Rate

Reading12.1%
Scranton5.5%

Labor Force

Reading43,869
Scranton35,629

Mean Commute

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Work from Home

Reading5.0%
Scranton8.5%

Private Sector

Reading98.8%
Scranton89.5%

Government Sector

Reading48.5%
Scranton42.9%

Crime & Safety — Scranton leads

Source: FBI UCR

Scranton has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.32 compared to 1.00 in Reading. Scranton has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.48 compared to 1.95 in Reading. Reading has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.09 in Scranton.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Reading3.38
Scranton2.81

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Reading14.35
Scranton13.45

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Reading0.07
Scranton0.09

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Reading1.00
Scranton0.32

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Reading1.95
Scranton1.48

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Reading2.33
Scranton1.93

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Reading9.74
Scranton10.23

Violent Crime Clearance

Reading46.8%
Scranton46.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Reading10.8%
Scranton9.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Avg Annual High

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Avg Annual Low

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Annual Rainfall

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Annual Snowfall

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Avg Humidity

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Schools & Education — Scranton leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Scranton has a bachelor's degree or higher of 15.1% compared to 7.0% in Reading. Scranton has a high school diploma or higher of 41.2% compared to 30.0% in Reading.

Public Schools

Reading0
Scranton0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Colleges & Universities

Reading0
Scranton0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Reading7.0%
Scranton15.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Reading30.0%
Scranton41.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a population of 94,836, about 1.2x the size of Scranton (76,074). Reading skews younger with a median age of 31.7 vs 37.7.

Population

Reading94,836
Scranton76,074

Median Age

Reading32
Scranton38

Avg Household Size

Reading2.8
Scranton2.3

Married Population

Reading24.4%
Scranton31.4%

Foreign Born

Reading21.5%
Scranton10.4%

White

Reading30.1%
Scranton71.6%

Black

Reading10.0%
Scranton6.7%

Hispanic

Reading68.6%
Scranton16.5%

Asian

Reading1.0%
Scranton4.7%

Reading

Scranton

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Scranton: 3 vs Reading: 2 for with emergency services. Reading: 3.5 vs Scranton: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Reading5
Scranton5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Reading3.5
Scranton3.0

With Emergency Services

Reading2
Scranton3

Transportation & Commute — Scranton leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a public transit of 3.9% compared to 1.7% in Scranton. Scranton has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 5.0% in Reading. Scranton has a drive alone of 69.8% compared to 63.7% in Reading.

Mean Commute Time

ReadingN/A
ScrantonN/A

Drive Alone

Reading63.7%
Scranton69.8%

Public Transit

Reading3.9%
Scranton1.7%

Bicycle

Reading0.1%
Scranton0.1%

Work from Home

Reading5.0%
Scranton8.5%

Airports

Reading0
Scranton0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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