Population 4,562 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in West Reading
Household size in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.30 | 2.51 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.17 | 2.53 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.41 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.52 | 2.46 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.22 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
Households in West Reading run a little small, averaging 2.52 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. Pennsylvania as a whole looks much the same. Household size has climbed from 2.30 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.8 | 40.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 39.5 | 41.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 36.7 | 41.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 34.5 | 42.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | −10.3 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 34.5, West Reading is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults, many of them living alone or as couples.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.4% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.4% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 21.3% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.1% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.3 pts | +0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in eight households in West Reading (13.1%), a bit above the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in West Reading
Renters in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.9% | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 39.8% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 42.7% | 31.1% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 43.9% | 30.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +6.9 pts | +1.7 pts | +1.5 pts |
More than four in ten households in West Reading rent their homes (43.9%), above the national share of 34.8%. Just over one in five owners (21.0%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.1% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.3% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.4% | 10.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −14.6 pts | −1.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in West Reading: just 3.5% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1938 | 1963 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1939 | 1964 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1942 | 1965 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1938 | 1967 | 1980 |
| Change | ±0 | +4 | +6 |
West Reading is a place of older homes: half were built before 1938, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $837 | $829 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $967 | $923 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $829 | $1,039 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,481 | $1,323 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$644 | +$494 | +$606 |
The median renter in West Reading pays $1,481 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. Even so, rents here are higher than in Pennsylvania as a whole ($1,323). The typical renter here spends 30.9% of household income on rent, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in West Reading
Bachelor's degrees in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.0% | 27.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 19.2% | 28.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 29.8% | 31.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 33.1% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +12.1 pts | +8.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in West Reading as nationally: 33.1% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 74.1% | 87.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 82.8% | 88.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.0% | 90.3% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.6% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +15.5 pts | +4.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in West Reading is close to the national rate: 89.6% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in Pennsylvania as a whole (91.8%).
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in West Reading
| Period | West Reading | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.5% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.2% | 8.8% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.1% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.3% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in West Reading than nationally: unemployment was 4.3%, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
West Reading compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Reading | 2.52 | 34.5 | 13.1% | 43.9% | 3.5% | 1938 | $1,481 | 33.1% | 89.6% | 4.3% |
| Reading | 2.77 | 37.3 | 18.2% | 39.6% | 7.1% | 1959 | $1,316 | 23.6% | 81.6% | 9.7% |
| Wyomissing | 2.27 | 51.6 | 8.9% | 32.0% | 6.9% | 1971 | $1,526 | 55.3% | 97.2% | 2.1% |
| Kenhorst | 2.53 | 37.0 | 14.9% | 21.5% | 6.1% | 1953 | $1,298 | 24.5% | 89.2% | 3.0% |
| Monterey | 2.50 | 44.9 | 6.2% | 30.7% | 7.7% | 1973 | $1,129 | 26.3% | 82.1% | 0.7% |
| Shillington | 2.55 | 37.7 | 16.0% | 37.5% | 7.3% | 1946 | $1,451 | 23.9% | 96.3% | 5.6% |
| West Wyomissing | 2.31 | 42.1 | 9.2% | 17.3% | 4.5% | 1959 | $1,382 | 32.4% | 90.3% | 1.9% |
| Mount Penn | 2.68 | 36.5 | 20.5% | 32.9% | 8.5% | 1945 | $1,010 | 20.0% | 95.0% | 1.0% |
| Ridgewood | 2.51 | 42.8 | 8.8% | 25.6% | 8.5% | 1972 | $1,440 | 37.4% | 93.2% | 2.2% |
| Pennside | 2.38 | 42.4 | 6.0% | 22.4% | 6.4% | 1954 | $1,518 | 23.5% | 95.2% | 2.0% |
| Pennwyn | 3.10 | 41.0 | 5.3% | 9.9% | 14.2% | 1987 | $1,402 | 64.3% | 89.7% | 1.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Walnut Ridge, AR · Waldoboro, ME · White Salmon, WA · West Creek, NJ · Warren, OR · Hillsboro, TN · Gregory, MI · Guilford, IN · Hagerstown, IN · Hainesville, IL
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up West Reading. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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