† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupReadingPennsylvaniaUnited States
Puerto Rican30.0%3.7%1.8%
Dominican20.0%1.4%0.7%
Mexican11.1%1.4%11.3%
Colombian1.7%0.2%0.4%
Guatemalan1.1%0.2%0.5%
Salvadoran1.1%—0.7%
Peruvian0.9%——
Spaniard0.9%——
German10.1%21.6%12.5%
Irish3.7%14.8%9.4%
Italian3.0%10.6%4.8%
English2.3%8.3%9.5%
Polish1.7%5.4%2.2%
American1.3%4.4%5.3%
Dutch0.5%——
French0.4%—1.6%
African American†6.5%8.7%9.9%
Haitian0.7%0.2%0.3%
African0.5%0.4%0.5%
Nigerian0.5%—0.2%
Jamaican0.5%0.3%0.4%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Reading
Pennsylvania
United States
Median age
31.9
41.2
39.1
Age 18–24
11.8%
8.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
10.8%
19.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Reading
Pennsylvania
United States
Median household income
$44,091
$77,971
$84,427
Poverty rate
28.7%
11.7%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
11.4%
35.2%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Reading
Pennsylvania
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
59.7%
12.4%
22.3%
Spanish
57.1%
5.6%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Reading
Pennsylvania
United States
Catholic
—
21.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.3%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
53.1%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Reading, Pennsylvania
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+51.9%
2008
+62.2%
2012
+62.9%
2016
+59.6%
2020
+45.1%
2024
+29.8%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
64.4%Harris14,955
34.6%Trump8,028
1.0%
D+29.8
R+15.3
D+31.3
23,207
D
71.9%Biden16,969
26.8%Trump6,320
1.3%
D+45.1
R+14.5
D+40.7
23,606
D
78.4%Clinton19,175
18.8%Trump4,599
2.8%
D+59.6
R+3.3
D+57.5
24,447
D
80.6%Obama18,316
17.7%Romney4,015
1.7%
D+62.9
D+0.8
D+59.1
22,726
D
80.4%Obama20,658
18.3%McCain4,694
1.3%
D+62.2
D+10.3
D+54.9
25,685
D
75.2%Kerry16,305
23.3%Bush5,057
1.4%
D+51.9
—
D+54.3
21,676
Reading's population is roughly two-thirds Hispanic, making it one of Pennsylvania's most demographically distinct cities; that composition drives Democratic margins well above 40 points in most contested statewide contests.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 62.9 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 15.3 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 29.8 points.
A population of 95,242, a 20% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $44,091 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Allentown and Kissimmee.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Reading, Pennsylvania voted Democratic by 29.8 points (D+29.8), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 23,207 votes cast, 14,955 went Democratic and 8,028 went Republican.
How many people live in Reading, Pennsylvania?
Reading, Pennsylvania has a population of 95,242 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Reading, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in Reading, Pennsylvania is $44,091 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Reading, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Reading, Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
