Cost of Living and Housing in Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading has about 95,242 residents. Median gross rent is $1,067 per month and median household income is $44,091.

Comparison scope: “dataset median” below means the median among 1,211 cities across 10 states in this dataset. It is not presented as a nationwide Census median. The figures use 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates and may lag current listings.

Median Gross Rent $1,067/mo 36% below the dataset median

Median Home Value $121,300 68% below the dataset median

Median Household Income $44,091 47% below the dataset median

Owner-Occupied Homes 41% Share of occupied housing units

Rent-to-Income Baseline 29% Annual median rent ÷ household income

Home Value-to-Income 2.8x Median value ÷ household income

How Reading compares

Rent is 36% below the dataset median, while household income is 47% below the dataset median. Within Pennsylvania, Reading ranks #11 from lowest to highest rent and #31 from highest to lowest household income among 33 cities in this dataset.

The rent-to-income figure compares two citywide medians. It is useful for broad comparison, but it is not an individual household budget or a measure of renter cost burden.

Similar-size cities in Pennsylvania

Frequently asked questions

What is the median rent in Reading?

Median gross rent is $1,067 per month in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median home value in Reading?

The median value of owner-occupied homes is $121,300 in the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year estimates.

What is the median household income?

Median household income in Reading is $44,091 per year.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates. Local database refreshed 2026-07-11.