Reading, PA vs Philadelphia, PA
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Summary
Philadelphia spends 71.0% more per capita than Reading ($39,945/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
D
45/100
Budget Balance17
Debt Burden53
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
Key Metrics
Metric
Reading
Philadelphia
Total Spending
$1.5B
$89.7B
Spending / Capita
$16,327
$56,272
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$64.4B
Revenue / Capita
$22,211
$40,425
Total Debt
$8.3M
$1.7B
Debt / Capita
$87
$1,069
Population
94,601
1,593,208
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0
Per Capita Spending by Department
Police
Reading$0
Philadelphia$1,505
Fire Protection
Reading$256
Philadelphia$7,082
Highways & Roads
Reading$92
Philadelphia$1,215
Parks & Recreation
Reading$826
Philadelphia$593
Health
Reading$180
Philadelphia$229
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
ReadingPhiladelphia
| Property Tax | $47 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $60 | $107 |
| Income Tax | $956 | $8 |
| Intergovernmental | $767 | $6,288 |
| Charges & Fees | $3,742 | $2,790 |
| Other | $6,157 | $4,029 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
ReadingPhiladelphia
| Police | $0 | $1,505 |
| Fire Protection | $256 | $7,082 |
| Highways & Roads | $92 | $1,215 |
| Public Welfare | $1,502 | $1,456 |
| Health | $180 | $229 |
| Hospitals | $672 | $4,048 |
| Parks & Recreation | $826 | $593 |
| Housing | $4,415 | $4,902 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $325 |
| Utilities | $3,304 | $4,222 |
| Interest on Debt | $0 | $3 |
| Other | $5,080 | $30,692 |
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health
D
Philadelphia, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 45/100
Below average fiscal health