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Reading

A city of 95,242 people in Pennsylvania
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Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.

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Around town

The places and views that make it Reading

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Outdoors in Reading

Parks & trails →
Map of Reading: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Conserved land17%1,067 of 6,416 acres
Trails55 mi5.5 mi per sq mi
Parks & preserves3611 conserved acres per 1,000 residents

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

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Know Reading

The town at a glance, and the guide to how things work

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About Reading

City in Pennsylvania, US
1748Established
95,112Population
10.1 sq miArea
305 ftElevation

Reading ( RED-ing; Pennsylvania German: Reddin) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 census and is the fourth-most populous city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown. Reading is located in the southeastern part of the state, 38.8 miles (62.4 km) southwest of Allentown and 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Philadelphia. It is the principal city of the Greater Reading area, which had 420,152 residents in 2020. Reading gave its name to the now-defunct Reading Company, also known as the Reading Railroad and since acquired by Conrail, that played a vital role in transporting anthracite co…

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Town numbers

ZIP code19601, 19602, 19603
Living in Reading

Housing in Reading

$268K▲ 3.8% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Reading home is worth about $268,000, up 3.8% in a year, 8% below the Pennsylvania typical home.

A strong seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s
Days on market10
Sale-to-list101.1%
Sold in May68
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Reading

C

Safety Grade C

Reading reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 69% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000
Reading 2.6
Pennsylvania 2.3
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000
Reading 12.8
Pennsylvania 13.6
U.S. 15.5
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Reading

Compared with Pennsylvania

4worse than PA

of 5 measures CDC estimates. The other 1 is too close to call.

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

Care nearby

Reading HospitalWest Reading · 1.3 mi · ER
Berks Community Health CenterReading · 0.4 mi · sliding-scale fees
Primary careShortage · part of Reading
DentalNo shortage
Mental healthNo shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Reading · CMS · HRSAHealth in Reading →

Schools in Reading

All Reading schools →
D

School Grade D

The public schools Reading’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 90% of Pennsylvania’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

See how Reading’s schools compare in PA →
DistrictReading SDSchools26

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within PA. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from ReadingWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Reading.Meet them →

Where Reading is

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Locator map of Reading
Wikimedia Commons · Map: "Country" Bushrod Washington at English Wikipedia (Original text: (c) 2007 "Country" Bushrod Washington (from U.S. Census Bureau source)) · "Country" Bushrod Washington at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

Location map

How things work in Reading

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Reading

Pennsylvania · PA
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