Bethlehem, PA vs Reading, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Reading spends 11.4% more per capita than Bethlehem ($1,860/person difference). Bethlehem, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 88/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
88/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency86
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Bethlehem
Reading
Total Spending
$1.1B
$1.5B
Spending / Capita
$14,468
$16,327
Total Revenue
$1.9B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$25,113
$22,211
Total Debt
$0
$8.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$87
Population
76,555
94,601
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Bethlehem$1,642
Reading$256
Highways & Roads
Bethlehem$668
Reading$92
Parks & Recreation
Bethlehem$634
Reading$826
Health
Bethlehem$187
Reading$180
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
BethlehemReading
| Property Tax | $1 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $405 | $60 |
| Income Tax | $308 | $956 |
| Intergovernmental | $3,237 | $767 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,296 | $3,742 |
| Other | $3,969 | $6,157 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
BethlehemReading
| Fire Protection | $1,642 | $256 |
| Highways & Roads | $668 | $92 |
| Public Welfare | $1,218 | $1,502 |
| Health | $187 | $180 |
| Hospitals | $526 | $672 |
| Parks & Recreation | $634 | $826 |
| Housing | $2,229 | $4,415 |
| Sewerage | $68 | $0 |
| Utilities | $2,000 | $3,304 |
| Other | $5,296 | $5,080 |
A
Bethlehem, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 88/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health