What percentage of people rent in Reading, PA?

Name: Renters and owners in Reading, PA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

59.4% (±2.5 points) of the occupied homes in Reading, PA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 19,690 renting households against 13,474 that own their home.

In Reading, the share of households that rent went from 60.6% in 2015–2019 to 59.4% in 2020–2024 (−1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 59.4% (±2.5 points)
Renting households: 19,690 (±1,014)
Median renter income: $32,723 (±$3,846)

Who rents and who owns in Reading

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Reading	Berks County	Pennsylvania	United States
Renter-occupied share	59.4% (±2.5 points)	28.7% (±0.7 points)	30.7% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	19,690 (±1,014)	46,902 (±1,181)	1,617,882 (±10,181)	45,017,354
Owning households	13,474 (±893)	116,334 (±1,443)	3,656,971 (±15,249)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.7 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	3.0 (±0.1)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$32,723 (±$3,846)	$45,031 (±$3,579)	$47,506 (±$425)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$64,587 (±$2,871)	$97,214 (±$1,750)	$95,990 (±$362)	$100,009

In Reading, the renter share is higher than in Berks County (28.7%).

It is also higher than in Pennsylvania (30.7%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Berks County, Reading ranks 2 of 72 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 39 of 2,557.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Reading has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	60.6% (±1.6 points)	59.4% (±2.5 points)	−1.2 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$811 (±$19)	$1,067 (±$32)	+31.6%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$32,176 (±$1,309)	$44,091 (±$3,478)	+37.0%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Reading

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Reading
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Reading	—	59.4% (±2.5 points)	—
West Reading	1.1 mi	43.9% (±7.8 points)	Lower
Mount Penn	2.1 mi	34.6% (±10.4 points)	Lower
Wyomissing	2.1 mi	31.7% (±5.3 points)	Lower
Lower Alsace Township	2.2 mi	24.2% (±5.8 points)	Lower
Kenhorst	2.4 mi	21.5% (±10.1 points)	Lower
Hyde Park (community)	2.5 mi	24.5% (±8.0 points)	Lower
Pennside	2.6 mi	22.1% (±6.3 points)	Lower
Grill	2.8 mi	6.7% (±5.5 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: West Reading, PA (43.9%), Mount Penn, PA (34.6%), Wyomissing, PA (31.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Berks County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	New Morgan	63.6% (±34.5 points)
2	Reading	59.4% (±2.5 points)
3	Boyertown	59.3% (±9.7 points)
4	Kutztown	50.9% (±9.4 points)
5	Centerport	47.9% (±18.3 points)
6	Lenhartsville	44.9% (±12.7 points)
7	Sinking Spring	44.4% (±7.7 points)
8	West Reading	43.9% (±7.8 points)

Showing 8 of 72 places in Berks County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Reading

How many renters are there in Reading?

Reading has an estimated 19,690 (±1,014) renting households, 59.4% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Reading?

In Reading, the share of households that rent went from 60.6% in 2015–2019 to 59.4% in 2020–2024 (−1.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Reading?

A renting household in Reading has 2.7 people on average, against 3.0 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Reading?

The median renting household in Reading, PA has an income of $32,723 (±$3,846) a year, against $64,587 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Reading city, Pennsylvania (place:63624, in state:42).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.