West Reading is a very small borough located in the state of Pennsylvania. With a population of 4,543 people and just one neighborhood, West Reading is the 336th largest community in Pennsylvania. West Reading has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic boroughs in the country.
West Reading is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. Overall, West Reading is a borough of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in West Reading who work in office and administrative support (14.60%), healthcare (14.16%), and teaching (7.28%).
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 7.95% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
The overall education level of West Reading citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 33.34% of adults in West Reading have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%.
The per capita income in West Reading in 2022 was $49,106, which is wealthy relative to Pennsylvania and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $196,424 for a family of four. However, West Reading contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
West Reading is an extremely ethnically-diverse borough. The people who call West Reading home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of West Reading residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. West Reading also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 32.53% of the borough’s residents. Important ancestries of people in West Reading include German, Italian, Irish, English, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in West Reading is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
For many reasons, is rated by NeighborhoodScout as one of the top 0.4% of ideal neighborhoods for first-time home buyers in the state of Pennsylvania. Homes here are priced below median housing values in the state, yet the neighborhood has a track record according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive neighborhood home appreciation rates of above average real estate appreciation over the last five years compared to other PA neighborhoods, protecting your investment in your first home, while simultaneously making it less risky for your lender. Not only does this neighborhood stand out for combining price and home value stability or increases, it also is a neighborhood with a high quality resident population according exclusive data, meaning this is likely a good place to buy, live, and enjoy. While many first time home buyers focus purely on low cost and convenient location, which can risk your investment in your first home and put you in a less than desirable neighborhood, this neighborhood is a true standout for a lot of reasons, and definitely worth a look if you are a first time home buyer.
If you love row houses and attached homes, you will probably really like the neighborhood. The ambiance, the charm, of row houses is something special. And in sheer abundance of row houses, this neighborhood truly stands out. The real estate here has a higher proportion of row houses and attached homes than nearly any neighborhood in America. In fact, 65.0% of the residential real estate here is classified as row houses and attached homes.
In addition, if you find historic homes and neighborhoods attractive, you love the details, the history, and the charm, then you are sure to be interested in this neighborhood. With 55.3% of the residential real estate in the neighborhood built no later than 1939, and some built considerably earlier, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of historic residences than 95.4% of all neighborhoods in America. In this regard, this neighborhood truly stands out as special.
In the neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 10.8% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 95.4% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Puerto Rican and Czechoslovakian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 21.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Puerto Rican ancestry and 1.1% have Czechoslovakian ancestry.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in West Reading are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 67.3% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 14.6% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 60.3% of U.S. neighborhoods.
A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.
In the neighborhood, 41.1% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 23.1% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (18.4%), and 17.4% in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 70.4% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in West Reading, PA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Puerto Rican (21.8%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (20.0%), and residents who report Italian roots (10.9%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (10.7%), along with some Asian ancestry residents (6.6%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (46.1% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (79.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (10.8%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.