Reading, PA
Across all occupations in the Reading, PA metropolitan area, the median wage is $49,440 a year ($23.77 an hour) and the mean $60,950, May 2025. That median is −3% against the US median of $50,980 and −1% against Pennsylvania's $49,690. BLS counts 174,670 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is chief executives; the largest is home health and personal care aides.
All occupations: Reading, PA vs Pennsylvania and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Reading, PA | Hourly | $13.87 | $17.76 | $23.77 | $34.00 | $48.44 | $29.30 | 174,670 |
| Annual | $28,850 | $36,940 | $49,440 | $70,720 | $100,750 | $60,950 | ||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $13.91 | $17.64 | $23.89 | $37.63 | $56.66 | $31.60 | 6,064,600 |
| Annual | $28,920 | $36,690 | $49,690 | $78,270 | $117,860 | $65,730 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
398 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Pennsylvania. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Reading, PA
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chief Executives | $229,740 | $110.45 | 140 |
| 2 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $159,720 | $76.79 | 260 |
| 3 | Dentists, General | $151,850 | $73.01 | 120 |
| 4 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Pennsylvania | $148,550 | $71.42 | 420 |
| 5 | Pharmacists | $143,210 | $68.85 | 240 |
| 6 | Optometrists | $139,400 | $67.02 | 40 |
| 7 | Nurse Practitioners | $135,390 | $65.09 | 310 |
| 8 | Financial Managers in Pennsylvania | $133,900 | $64.37 | 760 |
| 9 | Commercial Pilots | $133,240 | * | 40 |
| 10 | Veterinarians | $133,110 | $64.00 | 100 |
| 11 | Physician Assistants | $130,160 | $62.58 | 190 |
| 12 | Sales Managers in Pennsylvania | $129,230 | $62.13 | 540 |
| 13 | Human Resources Managers | $128,310 | $61.69 | 220 |
| 14 | Marketing Managers | $127,920 | $61.50 | 210 |
| 15 | Purchasing Managers | $127,290 | $61.20 | 70 |
| 16 | Database Architects | $126,370 | $60.76 | 30 |
| 17 | Lawyers in Pennsylvania | $125,830 | $60.49 | 440 |
| 18 | Nurse Midwives | $124,470 | $59.84 | ** |
| 19 | Software Developers in Pennsylvania | $120,920 | $58.14 | 640 |
| 20 | Engineers, All Other | $118,870 | $57.15 | 40 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Reading, PA
Most concentrated occupations in Reading, PA
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 23.60 | 670 | 3.83 | $70,310 |
| 2 | Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 12.16 | 190 | 1.10 | $53,860 |
| 3 | Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders | 11.06 | 210 | 1.19 | $68,990 |
| 4 | Production Workers, All Other | 5.63 | 1,590 | 9.11 | * |
| 5 | Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.64 | 350 | 2.00 | $53,090 |
| 6 | Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.16 | 440 | 2.54 | $55,260 |
| 7 | Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.09 | 690 | 3.96 | $54,470 |
| 8 | Psychiatric Aides | 3.31 | 130 | 0.76 | $44,720 |
| 9 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3.19 | 610 | 3.51 | $54,760 |
| 10 | Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 2.87 | 100 | 0.60 | $55,230 |
Occupation groups in Reading, PA
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $105,840 | $125,110 | 10,780 | 61.69 | 0.86 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $91,500 | $95,970 | 2,920 | 16.71 | 0.49 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $86,800 | $94,680 | 2,530 | 14.47 | 0.86 |
| Legal | $83,720 | $115,480 | 750 | 4.30 | 0.51 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $83,700 | $106,510 | 10,800 | 61.81 | 0.98 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $74,660 | $82,850 | 7,930 | 45.41 | 0.67 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $74,510 | $81,540 | 1,060 | 6.09 | 0.64 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $61,750 | $63,530 | 10,830 | 62.02 | 1.06 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $61,430 | $62,900 | 8,050 | 46.06 | 1.18 |
| Construction and Extraction | $60,320 | $65,270 | 6,060 | 34.70 | 0.84 |
| Production | $53,090 | $52,570 | 20,270 | 116.06 | 2.11 |
| Community and Social Service | $51,790 | $56,830 | 3,340 | 19.11 | 1.11 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $51,180 | $61,190 | 1,450 | 8.31 | 0.63 |
| Protective Service | $47,860 | $57,520 | 3,090 | 17.70 | 0.73 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $47,200 | $49,630 | 18,540 | 106.16 | 0.93 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $45,980 | $47,190 | 20,230 | 115.82 | 1.32 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $38,050 | $40,030 | 4,650 | 26.61 | 0.91 |
| Healthcare Support | $36,370 | $37,440 | 9,730 | 55.72 | 1.10 |
| Sales and Related | $35,770 | $46,690 | 13,910 | 79.62 | 0.92 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $35,660 | $39,020 | 370 | 2.13 | 0.76 |
| Personal Care and Service | $34,630 | $38,320 | 3,720 | 21.29 | 1.02 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,600 | $33,240 | 13,660 | 78.21 | 0.89 |
Every occupation in Pennsylvania, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 398 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Reading, PA estimates (area 39740).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Reading, PA area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.