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

Reading, PA vs Scranton, PA

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

Summary

Reading spends 56.3% more per capita than Scranton ($5,881/person difference). Reading, PA has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (A, 86/100).

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
Scranton, PA
Pop. 76,119
A
83/100
Budget Balance73
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency100
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Reading
Scranton
Total Spending
$1.5B
$795.1M
Spending / Capita
$16,327
$10,446
Total Revenue
$2.1B
$779.9M
Revenue / Capita
$22,211
$10,245
Total Debt
$8.3M
$0
Debt / Capita
$87
$0
Population
94,601
76,119
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Reading$256
Scranton$1,029
Highways & Roads
Reading$92
Scranton$156
Parks & Recreation
Reading$826
Scranton$130
Health
Reading$180
Scranton$411

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

ReadingScranton
Property Tax
$47
$28
Sales Tax
$60
$3
Income Tax
$956
$1,114
Intergovernmental
$767
$114
Charges & Fees
$3,742
$0
Other
$6,157
$47

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

ReadingScranton
Fire Protection
$256
$1,029
Highways & Roads
$92
$156
Public Welfare
$1,502
$115
Health
$180
$411
Hospitals
$672
$0
Parks & Recreation
$826
$130
Housing
$4,415
$3,373
Utilities
$3,304
$668
Other
$5,080
$4,564
A
Reading, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 86/100
Excellent fiscal health
A
Scranton, PA
Fiscal Health Score: 83/100
Excellent fiscal health

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