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

Reading, PA vs Harrisburg, PA

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

Summary

Reading spends 22278.5% 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
Reading, PA
Pop. 94,601
A
86/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency74
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Harrisburg, PA
Pop. 50,055
A
90/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

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

Per Capita Spending by Department

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

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

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

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