West Reading, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

4,562

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.4

1.43% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14.8%

17.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$65,885

6.31% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$173,100

Population & Diversity

West Reading, PA is home to a population of 4.56k people, from which 98.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.42% of West Reading, PA residents were born outside of the country (156 people).

In 2024, there were 3.51 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.5k people) in West Reading, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 712 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 399 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.4%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.4% of West Reading, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in West Reading, PA was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in West Reading, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Reading, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.5k ± 354
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
712 ± 299
White (Hispanic)
399 ± 322

33.6%

Hispanic Population

1.54k people

33.6% of the people in West Reading, PA are hispanic (1.54k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in West Reading, PA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

3.42%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

156 people

4.47%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

203 people

As of 2024, 3.42% of West Reading, PA residents (156 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in West Reading, PA was 4.47%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in West Reading, PA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
79 ± 79
Gulf War (1990s)
39 ± 40
Vietnam
31 ± 32

West Reading, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.03 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in West Reading, PA.

Economy

The economy of West Reading, PA employs 2.12k people. In 2024, the largest industries in West Reading, PA were Health Care & Social Assistance (551 people), Manufacturing (363 people), and Retail Trade (194 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($104,205), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,250), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,667).

Employment

Occupations

2.12k

2024 Value

± 353

4.13%

1 Year growth

± 22.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Reading, PA grew at a rate of 4.13%, from 2.03k employees to 2.12k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Reading, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (313 people), Production Occupations (250 people), and Health Diagnosing & Treating Practitioners & Other Technical Occupations (243 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Reading, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Pennsylvania.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.12k

2024 Value

± 353

4.13%

1 Year growth

± 22.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Reading, PA grew at a rate of 4.13%, from 2.03k employees to 2.12k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Reading, PA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (551 people), Manufacturing (363 people), and Retail Trade (194 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Reading, PA, though some of these residents may live in West Reading, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$55,479

Median earning men ± $11,644

$50,972

Median earning women ± $17,412

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($86,058), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($66,458), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,639).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($250,001), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,895), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,407).

Housing & Living

The median property value in West Reading, PA was $173,100 in 2024, which is 0.52 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $159,700 to $173,100, a 8.39% increase. The homeownership rate in West Reading, PA is 56.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in West Reading, PA have an average commute time of 21.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in West Reading, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$173,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,667

$959

Median Property Taxes

±$203

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In West Reading, PA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in West Reading, PA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

56.1%

Homeownership

2024

64.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 56.1% of the housing units in West Reading, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 54.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in West Reading, PA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$65,885

Median Household Income

± $9,023

1.71k

Number of Households

± 280

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.71k households in West Reading, PA grew to $65,885 from the previous year's value of $61,974.

The following chart displays the households in West Reading, PA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for West Reading, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Pennsylvania across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.7%)
Walked (12%)
Worked At Home (7.51%)

In 2024, 72.7% of workers in West Reading, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (12%) and those who worked at home (7.51%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Reading, PA have a shorter commute time (21.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 6.29% of the workforce in West Reading, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in West Reading, PA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in West Reading, PA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in West Reading, PA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Reading, PA (640 out of 4.33k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 55 - 64 and then Males 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Reading, PA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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