Average Salaries in Reading, PA
Explore salaries across 411 occupations in Reading, PA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $62.0K, +0.8% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 411 occupations and 163,120 total jobs in Reading, PA.
How the metro compares
Wages in Reading, PA track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Reading, PA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Nurse Anesthetists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Reading, PA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Reading, PA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $211.2K | 90 |
| Dentists, General | $180.0K | 100 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $153.6K | 250 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $152.3K | 340 |
| Pharmacists | $137.9K | 280 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $135.0K | 280 |
| Optometrists | $133.9K | 40 |
| Financial Managers | $131.2K | 770 |
| Commercial Pilots | $130.9K | 40 |
| Human Resources Managers | $129.5K | 200 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Reading, PA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 5,960 | $29.4K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 5,430 | $41.8K |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,170 | $32.3K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 4,110 | $28.3K |
| General And Operations Managers | 4,050 | $97.2K |
| Cashiers | 3,770 | $28.7K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 3,560 | $37.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 3,360 | $96.3K |
| Office Clerks, General | 3,180 | $45.1K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,870 | $58.1K |
What Reading, PA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Reading, PA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Reading, PA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators And Tenders | 18.85 | $61.4K |
| Pourers And Casters, Metal | 17.47 | $42.2K |
| Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, And Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 6.01 | $51.4K |
| Psychiatric Aides | 4.45 | $43.6K |
| Foundry Mold And Coremakers | 4.07 | $39.2K |
| Cleaning, Washing, And Metal Pickling Equipment Operators And Tenders | 4.01 | $57.1K |
| Mixing And Blending Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 3.90 | $53.5K |
| Molding, Coremaking, And Casting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 3.56 | $52.7K |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 3.50 | N/A |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 3.39 | $64.5K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Reading, PA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.