Reading, PA vs Allentown, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Reading spends 7.0% more per capita than Allentown ($1,075/person difference). Reading, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 86/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
B
68/100
Budget Balance22
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency90
Revenue Diversity84
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Reading
Allentown
Total Spending
$1.5B
$1.9B
Spending / Capita
$16,327
$15,252
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$1.0B
Revenue / Capita
$22,211
$8,091
Total Debt
$8.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$87
$0
Population
94,601
125,292
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Reading$256
Allentown$333
Highways & Roads
Reading$92
Allentown$0
Parks & Recreation
Reading$826
Allentown$620
Health
Reading$180
Allentown$0
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ReadingAllentown
| Property Tax | $47 | $37 |
| Sales Tax | $60 | $55 |
| Income Tax | $956 | $1,166 |
| Intergovernmental | $767 | $210 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,742 | $0 |
| Other | $6,157 | $3,410 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ReadingAllentown
| Fire Protection | $256 | $333 |
| Highways & Roads | $92 | $0 |
| Public Welfare | $1,502 | $1,275 |
| Health | $180 | $0 |
| Hospitals | $672 | $1,505 |
| Parks & Recreation | $826 | $620 |
| Housing | $4,415 | $3,312 |
| Utilities | $3,304 | $2,206 |
| Other | $5,080 | $6,001 |
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health
B
Allentown, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 68/100
Good fiscal health