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City DNA · Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading
DNA

Berks County seat on the Schuylkill, rebuilding around its downtown core

Source

Lancaster figures are drawn from Census ACS 2023, OpenStreetMap, PennDOT traffic counts and the Census Building Permits Survey, refreshed monthly. OpenStreetMap business coverage is community-maintained and can undercount some categories. Items marked Mock (comparable-district stories, some institution headcounts) are curated illustrations.

PeopleSource
  • City population
    ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate, city limits (B01003).
    94,836people
  • Berks County population
    ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate for the county (metro area proxy).
    429,989people
  • 5-year population growth
    ACS 2018 → 2023 5-year estimates (88,211 → 94,836).
    +7.5%
  • Median household income
    ACS 2019–2023 (B19013), 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars.
    $45,599
  • Per-capita income
    ACS 2019–2023 (B19301).
    $21,394
  • Median age
    ACS 2019–2023 (B01002).
    31.7years
  • Households
    ACS 2019–2023 (B11001).
    32,899
  • Employed residents (16+)
    Of 43,854 in the civilian labor force. ACS 2019–2023 (B23025).
    38,538
Household mixSource
  • Households earning $75k+
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata, 7,692 household records across 3 microdata areas.
    47.2%
  • Households under $35k
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata (HINCP).
    23.6%
  • Householders under 35
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata (AGEP for the householder).
    16.2%
  • One-person households
    ACS 2019–2023 microdata (NP = 1).
    27.1%
  • Average household size
    Weighted mean of the microdata sample.
    2.52people
Major industriesSource
  • Manufacturing
    8,117 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    21.1% of employed residents
  • Health care & social assistance
    6,627 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    17.2% of employed residents
  • Retail trade
    4,363 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    11.3% of employed residents
  • Accommodation & food services
    3,058 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    7.9% of employed residents
  • Transportation & warehousing
    2,939 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    7.6% of employed residents
  • Professional, scientific & administrative
    2,529 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    6.6% of employed residents
Fastest-growing sectorsSource
  • Miscellaneous store retailers
    1,267 employees across 106 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +28% jobs since 2019
  • Social assistance
    6,325 employees across 226 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +21.5% jobs since 2019
  • Food and beverage stores
    4,614 employees across 182 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +17.4% jobs since 2019
  • Real estate and rental and leasing
    5,264 employees across 407 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +17.4% jobs since 2019
  • Repair and maintenance
    1,698 employees across 321 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +15.4% jobs since 2019
  • Health care and social assistance
    30,918 employees across 964 establishments countywide. County Business Patterns 2019 → 2022.
    +8.6% jobs since 2019
Housing & developmentSource
  • Residential units permitted (2025)
    0 single-family, 0 in 2+ unit buildings; $0M declared value. Census Building Permits Survey, annual place file.
    0units
  • Units permitted 2023–2025
    0% multifamily. 2025: 0, 2024: 0, 2023: 0.
    0units
  • Permit history
    Total residential units authorized per year, Census Building Permits Survey.
    2020: 0 · 2021: 0 · 2022: 0 · 2023: 0 · 2024: 0 · 2025: 0
  • Units in tracked major projects
    0 hand-curated projects from local news reporting (see growth layer). Not exhaustive.
    ~0units
Who is moving inSource
  • Annual arrivals into the county
    ACS 2018–2022 county-to-county migration flows, all origins.
    20,614people
  • In-migration rate
    20,614 arrivals per year against 429,989 residents.
    47.9per 1,000 residents
  • Share arriving from within the state
    12,002 people moved in from other Pennsylvania counties.
    58%
  • Top origins outside the state
    Largest non-state origins in the ACS flows table.
    New York 2,303 · Puerto Rico 849 · New Jersey 690
Income & hardshipSource
  • County poverty rate
    SAIPE 2023. Pennsylvania average is 11.9%.
    11.9%
  • Child poverty rate
    SAIPE 2023 county model estimate.
    17.9% under 18
  • County median household income
    SAIPE 2023, modelled county estimate.
    $75,655
Business ownershipSource
  • Employer firms in the county
    Annual Business Survey 2022. 179,332 employees and $10,696M in annual payroll.
    7,464
  • Women-owned firms
    Annual Business Survey 2022; self-reported ownership.
    1,00413.5% of firms
  • Minority-owned firms
    Annual Business Survey 2022; includes Hispanic-owned firms of any race.
    80310.8% of firms
  • Veteran-owned firms
    Annual Business Survey 2022.
    3394.5% of firms
  • Firms under 4 years old
    Annual Business Survey 2022 years-in-business series — how much room new entrants find in this market.
    78110.5% of firms
  • Firms 16+ years old
    Annual Business Survey 2022. A high share signals stable, long-held businesses.
    3,98253.3% of firms
Retail & restaurant environmentSource
  • Named businesses mapped
    OpenStreetMap features with a name and a commercial tag inside city limits. OSM coverage is community-maintained and under-counts offices and home businesses.
    107
  • Restaurants per 10k residents
    18 restaurants and fast food places in OSM ÷ ACS population.
    1.9
  • Independent share of businesses
    Businesses without a chain brand tag in OSM. Treats untagged chains as independent, so this is an upper bound.
    74%
  • Hotels & motels mapped
    OSM tourism=hotel/motel inside city limits.
    1
Business categories per capita vs. comparable-city median

What Reading has
a lot of

    What Reading has
    relatively little of

    • Coworking & flex office0%
      City
      0.0
      Comparable
      0.0
    • Apparel & accessories0%
      City
      0.0
      Comparable
      1.8
    • Coffee & cafés0%
      City
      0.0
      Comparable
      1.9
    • Healthcare & pharmacy7%
      City
      0.2
      Comparable
      3.1
    • Hotels & lodging9%
      City
      0.1
      Comparable
      1.2
    • General retail10%
      City
      0.6
      Comparable
      6.4

    Under-represented categories are the starting point for the opportunity engine — not a conclusion on their own.

    Commercial centers · business density

    Where business concentrates

    • Southwest Reading28 businesses · 3.2 per 1k residents
    • Center City Reading26 businesses · 2.6 per 1k residents
    • Northeast Reading16 businesses · 1.0 per 1k residents
    • Southeast Reading12 businesses · 0.8 per 1k residents
    • Callowhill9 businesses · 0.9 per 1k residents
    • Northwest Reading9 businesses · 0.5 per 1k residents
    • Penn's Common & Mount Penn base7 businesses · 0.7 per 1k residents
    Emerging districts

    Where the city is moving

    Northwest Reading
    residential · higher income · university-adjacent
    +14.8%
    5-yr pop.
    Closest cluster: Family Activity Cluster — 2 of 5 components present; missing indoor entertainment, casual family dining, ice cream or treats.
    Southeast Reading
    dense rowhouses · Latino-owned business · corner groceries · gateway
    +10.6%
    5-yr pop.
    Closest cluster: Neighborhood Social Hub — 4 of 5 components present; missing morning café.
    Southwest Reading
    affordable · young families · underserved retail
    +8.8%
    5-yr pop.
    Closest cluster: Neighborhood Social Hub — 4 of 5 components present; missing morning café.
    Compare with similar cities