Pennsylvania · PUMA · 2024 ACS PUMS
Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City
A Census profile of the Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City Public Use Microdata Area in Pennsylvania, from the 2024 American Community Survey. It is home to 152,353 people, with a median household income of $57,869 and a median age of 36.9.
Cities & areas covered: Berks County, Reading.
How Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City compares to Pennsylvania
- Median household income here is $57,869, $19,798 below the Pennsylvania figure of $77,667.
- The bachelor's-degree rate here is 21.8%, 14.5% below the Pennsylvania figure of 36.3%.
- Homeownership here is 53.7%, 15.7% below the Pennsylvania figure of 69.4%.
- The poverty rate here is 21.6%, 10.0% above the Pennsylvania figure of 11.6%.
Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City vs. Pennsylvania vs. the U.S.
Every figure is a weighted estimate from the 2024 ACS PUMS. The PA and U.S. columns are the state and population-weighted national averages, for comparison.
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,869 | $77,667 |
| Median family income | $81,220 | $101,017 |
| Mean wage (workers) | $47,037 | $63,725 |
| Median personal income (15+) | $26,396 | $35,534 |
| Poverty rate | 21.6% | 11.6% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.6% | 4.3% |
| Labor force participation (16+) | 65.0% | 63.0% |
| Mean hours worked / week | 36.9 | 37.7 |
| Mean Interest, dividends, and net rental income | $1,415 | $2,582 |
| Mean Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income | 25.0% | 22.0% |
| Mean All other income | $332 | $588 |
| Mean Public assistance income | $23 | $42 |
| Mean Total person's earnings | $30,912 | $42,244 |
| Mean Income-to-poverty ratio | 256.6 | 320 |
| Mean Retirement income | $1,598 | $3,913 |
| Mean Self-employment income | $1,390 | $2,201 |
| Mean Supplementary Security Income | $456 | $324 |
| Mean Social Security income | $3,331 | $4,492 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.8% | 36.3% |
| High school diploma or higher | 80.8% | 92.4% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 5.3% | 10.4% |
| Business operations | 2.1% | 3.8% |
| Financial specialists | 1.4% | 1.9% |
| Computer & math | 0.7% | 3.4% |
| Architecture & engineering | 1.3% | 2.1% |
| Science | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| Community & social service | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Legal | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Education instruction | 3.7% | 6.4% |
| Arts, design & media | 0.6% | 2.1% |
| Healthcare practitioners | 5.7% | 7.2% |
| Healthcare support | 6.5% | 3.9% |
| Protective service | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| Food prep & serving | 6.2% | 5.6% |
| Building & grounds cleaning | 3.8% | 3.5% |
| Personal care | 2.0% | 2.6% |
| Sales | 7.0% | 8.5% |
| Office & admin support | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Farming, fishing & forestry | 1.0% | 0.4% |
| Construction | 6.0% | 4.0% |
| Extraction | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Installation & repair | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| Production | 16.8% | 5.5% |
| Transportation & moving | 12.3% | 8.6% |
| Military | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Agriculture & forestry (industry) | 1.7% | 0.8% |
| Mining & oil/gas (industry) | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Utilities (industry) | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Construction (industry) | 7.4% | 6.0% |
| Manufacturing (industry) | 16.1% | 10.4% |
| Wholesale trade (industry) | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| Retail trade (industry) | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| Transportation & warehousing (industry) | 9.0% | 4.9% |
| Information (industry) | 0.4% | 1.4% |
| Finance & insurance (industry) | 3.5% | 5.9% |
| Professional & technical (industry) | 7.4% | 11.7% |
| Educational services (industry) | 5.9% | 10.0% |
| Health care (industry) | 13.4% | 13.5% |
| Social assistance (industry) | 4.2% | 2.7% |
| Arts & entertainment (industry) | 8.9% | 9.0% |
| Other services (industry) | 4.6% | 4.7% |
| Public administration (industry) | 2.3% | 3.8% |
| Armed forces (industry) | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Uninsured | 13.6% | 6.2% |
| Private insurance | 48.8% | 69.6% |
| Public insurance | 47.5% | 39.0% |
| With a disability | 14.7% | 15.2% |
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Mean commute time | 25 min | 27 min |
| Drove to work | 82.0% | 76.4% |
| Public transit to work | 2.4% | 4.3% |
| Worked from home | 7.1% | 13.9% |
| Mean Weeks worked | 30 | 30.5 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $200,000 | $265,000 |
| Median gross rent | $1,180 | $1,260 |
| Rent as % of income | 33.0% | 29.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 53.7% | 69.4% |
| Average household size | 2.7 | 2.3 |
| Median bedrooms | 3 | 3 |
| Median rooms | 6 | 6 |
| Median year built | 1950 | 1960 |
| Vehicles per household | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| No vehicle | 16.7% | 10.1% |
| Single-family detached | 30.7% | 57.3% |
| Broadband internet | 94.7% | 92.9% |
| Median Condominium and/or homeowners association fee | $0 | $0 |
| Median Electricity cost | $170 | $150 |
| Median Fuel cost | $1,400 | $1,200 |
| Median Gas cost | $100 | $90 |
| Mean Age of the householder | 51.6 | 54 |
| Median Mobile home costs | $7,400 | $1,200 |
| Median First mortgage payment | $1,100 | $1,300 |
| Mean Number of own children in household | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Mean Number of related children in household | 0.7 | 0.5 |
| Median Monthly rent | $930 | $1,000 |
| Median Selected monthly owner costs | $1,193 | $1,200 |
| Median Total payment on all second and junior mortgages and home equity loans | $340 | $430 |
| Median Property taxes | $3,050 | $3,050 |
| Median Water cost | $1,200 | $680 |
| Statistic | This PUMA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 152,353 | 13,078,751 |
| Average age | 36.9 | 41.4 |
| Married (15+) | 38.3% | 47.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 52.4% | 9.4% |
| Black | 5.4% | 10.1% |
| Asian | 0.8% | 4.2% |
| Mean Fire/hazard/flood insurance | $1,158 | $1,178 |
| Mean Number of persons in family | 2.2 | 1.8 |
Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City — FAQ
What is the population of the Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City PUMA?+
The Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City PUMA in Pennsylvania has a population of 152,353, per the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) PUMS.
What is the median household income in Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City, PA?+
Median household income in the Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City PUMA is $57,869, compared with $77,667 across Pennsylvania and $83,310 nationally.
What cities and counties are in the Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City PUMA?+
The Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City PUMA covers Berks County, Reading. PUMAs are built from whole counties or, in denser areas, groups of census tracts, so one PUMA can span several places.
What is a PUMA?+
A PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) is a U.S. Census geography of roughly 100,000 or more people — the most detailed level at which ACS PUMS microdata is released. Pennsylvania contains 95 PUMAs.
Where does this Berks County (Southwest)--Reading City data come from?+
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample — a de-identified, weighted sample of individual records. PUMSdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.