PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Reading, PA

47.0
Life Score / 100
C+
Grade (curved)
#238
of 387 metros
39%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Reading ranks #238 of 387 US metros, ahead of 39% - carried by its environment (74/100) and held back most by schools (18/100).

74
strongest: Environment
68
then: Safety
18
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Reading sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

47 39th percentile higher than 39% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Reading Life Score

Reading's composite score of 47.0 out of 100, a grade of C+, places the metro at rank #238 of 387, ahead of 39% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (74/100) and Safety (68/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (18/100) and Rent (26/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 97.1 (rent-RPP 85.4). BLS median salary $63,487, 165,600 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,575/mo (studio $1,086).

FBI UCR (PA): 250 violent, 1457 property/100K. NCES: 13.6:1 ratio, 6.0% charter. EPA: 127 Superfund sites (PA). Ranks #235-#241 below.

Dimension detail

How Reading scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 33/100 (20%)
Wages 62/100 (20%)
Rent 26/100 (15%)
Safety 68/100 (15%)
Schools 18/100 (10%)
Childcare -/100 (10%)
Environment 74/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

97.1
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,487
Avg Median Salary
$1,575
2BR Fair Market Rent
250
Violent Crime/100K (PA)
13.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
127
Superfund Sites (PA)
165,600
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Reading With...

Reading vs Johnstown Compare → Reading vs Williamsport Compare → Reading vs Pittsburgh Compare → Reading vs Wildwood Compare → Reading vs Waterloo Compare → Reading vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Reading outranks 39% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#235 Johnson City, TN 47.1 C+
#236 Yuma, AZ 47.2 C+
#237 Tyler, TX 47.2 C+
#238 Reading, PA 47.0 C+
#239 Bloomington, IN 47.0 C+
#240 Harrisonburg, VA 47.0 C+
#241 Binghamton, NY 46.9 C+

PA Metro Scores

Johnstown, PA B+ 56.4 Williamsport, PA B 54.7 Pittsburgh, PA B 54.0 York-Hanover, PA B 52.7 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA B- 51.9 State College, PA B- 49.9

Using Reading's Life Score

Reading is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is environment (74/100) and its weakest is schools (18/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Reading head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Reading lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Reading's biggest strengths? ▼
Reading's strongest dimensions are Environment (74/100), Safety (68/100), Wages (62/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Reading's weakest areas? ▼
Reading's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (18/100), Rent (26/100), Cost of Living (33/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Reading compared to the national average? ▼
Reading's Regional Price Parity is 97.1 (2.9% less than national); rent RPP 85.4.
What is the average salary in Reading? ▼
Reading median salary: $63,487, 165,600 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Reading's 47.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.