Reading, PA vs Bethlehem, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Reading spends 12.9% more per capita than Bethlehem ($1,860/person difference). Bethlehem, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 88/100).
Fiscal Health Score
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
A
88/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency86
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Reading
Bethlehem
Total Spending
$1.5B
$1.1B
Spending / Capita
$16,327
$14,468
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$1.9B
Revenue / Capita
$22,211
$25,113
Total Debt
$8.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$87
$0
Population
94,601
76,555
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Fire Protection
Reading$256
Bethlehem$1,642
Highways & Roads
Reading$92
Bethlehem$668
Parks & Recreation
Reading$826
Bethlehem$634
Health
Reading$180
Bethlehem$187
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ReadingBethlehem
| Property Tax | $47 | $1 |
| Sales Tax | $60 | $405 |
| Income Tax | $956 | $308 |
| Intergovernmental | $767 | $3,237 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,742 | $3,296 |
| Other | $6,157 | $3,969 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ReadingBethlehem
| Fire Protection | $256 | $1,642 |
| Highways & Roads | $92 | $668 |
| Public Welfare | $1,502 | $1,218 |
| Health | $180 | $187 |
| Hospitals | $672 | $526 |
| Parks & Recreation | $826 | $634 |
| Housing | $4,415 | $2,229 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $68 |
| Utilities | $3,304 | $2,000 |
| Other | $5,080 | $5,296 |
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Bethlehem, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 88/100
Excellent fiscal health