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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Harrisburg, PA vs Reading, PA

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Reading spends 99.6% more per capita than Harrisburg ($16,254/person difference). Harrisburg, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 90/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Harrisburg, PA
Pop. 50,055
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Reading, PA
Pop. 94,601
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Harrisburg
Reading
Total Spending
$3.7M
$1.5B
Spending / Capita
$73
$16,327
Total Revenue
$301.0M
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$6,013
$22,211
Total Debt
$0
$8.3M
Debt / Capita
$0
$87
Population
50,055
94,601
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Harrisburg$0
Reading$256
Highways & Roads
Harrisburg$0
Reading$92
Parks & Recreation
Harrisburg$0
Reading$826
Health
Harrisburg$0
Reading$180

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

HarrisburgReading
Property Tax
$0
$47
Sales Tax
$0
$60
Income Tax
$0
$956
Intergovernmental
-$1,698
$767
Charges & Fees
$0
$3,742
Other
$0
$6,157

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

HarrisburgReading
Fire Protection
$0
$256
Highways & Roads
$0
$92
Public Welfare
$0
$1,502
Health
$0
$180
Hospitals
$73
$672
Parks & Recreation
$0
$826
Housing
$0
$4,415
Utilities
$0
$3,304
Other
$0
$5,080
A
Harrisburg, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 90/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health

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