2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Reading, PA vs Bakersfield, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in Bakersfield, is 78% more than it is in Reading and is 0% below the National Average.
- Reading unemployment rate is 14.8%.
- Bakersfield unemployment rate is 8.0%.
 Reading, PABakersfield, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock8.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth21.0%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$18,557  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$69,014$69,021
 Family Median Income$47,721  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Reading, PABakersfield, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock9.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.3%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock8.0%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K10.2%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.1%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.6%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.5%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.5%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock17.4%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K2.5%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock7.0%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Reading, PABakersfield, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance6.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock4.6%6.5%
 Community, social services2.8%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.6%1.2%
 Education, library3.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock4.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.7%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.6%5.4%
 Building maintenance5.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.0%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support18.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock3.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock14.2%13.1%
Reviews for Reading    15 Reviews

Over 11 years ago

Having lived in Reading in the 1960's and early 1970's I can definitely say the city has gone downhill as it has in reality been a victim of two major forces; first  More

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Over 12 years ago

Berks County is beautiful in the fall. Cool, crisp air and the trees are a pallet of  More

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Over 13 years ago

Well to start, in the past 8 years ive lived in 7 states, some pros and cons. Tucson I loved in all respects except its not as nice as living in a small town but it  More

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Reviews for Bakersfield    75 Reviews

I am a millennial, born and raised here. As someone who wrestled with staying for years, there are a lot of valid reasons to not come to Bakersfield. Air quality, summer  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have lived here all of my life. 40+ years. It used to be fun and kinda safe but now it is so scary to go outside. We are literally a homeless dumping ground and there  More

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I moved here from Seattle 25 years ago, when it had a population of 200,000, and practically the only place to get coffee was a place called “Duke’s Ranch”. Why did I  More

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