Allentown, PA vs Reading, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Reading spends 6.6% more per capita than Allentown ($1,075/person difference). Reading, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 86/100).
Fiscal Health Score
B
68/100
Budget Balance22
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency90
Revenue Diversity84
Trend Direction50
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Allentown
Reading
Total Spending
$1.9B
$1.5B
Spending / Capita
$15,252
$16,327
Total Revenue
$1.0B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$8,091
$22,211
Total Debt
$0
$8.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$87
Population
125,292
94,601
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Allentown$333
Reading$256
Highways & Roads
Allentown$0
Reading$92
Parks & Recreation
Allentown$620
Reading$826
Health
Allentown$0
Reading$180
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
AllentownReading
| Property Tax | $37 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $55 | $60 |
| Income Tax | $1,166 | $956 |
| Intergovernmental | $210 | $767 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $3,742 |
| Other | $3,410 | $6,157 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
AllentownReading
| Fire Protection | $333 | $256 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $92 |
| Public Welfare | $1,275 | $1,502 |
| Health | $0 | $180 |
| Hospitals | $1,505 | $672 |
| Parks & Recreation | $620 | $826 |
| Housing | $3,312 | $4,415 |
| Utilities | $2,206 | $3,304 |
| Other | $6,001 | $5,080 |
B
Allentown, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health