Philadelphia, PA vs Reading, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Philadelphia spends 244.6% more per capita than Reading ($39,945/person difference). Reading, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 86/100).
Fiscal Health Score
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Philadelphia
Reading
Total Spending
$89.7B
$1.5B
Spending / Capita
$56,272
$16,327
Total Revenue
$64.4B
$2.1B
Revenue / Capita
$40,425
$22,211
Total Debt
$1.7B
$8.3M
Debt / Capita
$1,069
$87
Population
1,593,208
94,601
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Philadelphia$1,505
Reading$0
Fire Protection
Philadelphia$7,082
Reading$256
Highways & Roads
Philadelphia$1,215
Reading$92
Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia$593
Reading$826
Health
Philadelphia$229
Reading$180
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
PhiladelphiaReading
| Property Tax | $0 | $47 |
| Sales Tax | $107 | $60 |
| Income Tax | $8 | $956 |
| Intergovernmental | $6,288 | $767 |
| Charges & Fees | $2,790 | $3,742 |
| Other | $4,029 | $6,157 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
PhiladelphiaReading
| Police | $1,505 | $0 |
| Fire Protection | $7,082 | $256 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,215 | $92 |
| Public Welfare | $1,456 | $1,502 |
| Health | $229 | $180 |
| Hospitals | $4,048 | $672 |
| Parks & Recreation | $593 | $826 |
| Housing | $4,902 | $4,415 |
| Sewerage | $325 | $0 |
| Utilities | $4,222 | $3,304 |
| Interest on Debt | $3 | $0 |
| Other | $30,692 | $5,080 |
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health