Reading's crime rate
There were 2,605 crimes reported in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2018, the most recent year crime data is available for the city. Adjusted for population, the city’s annual crime rate is 2,945 incidents for every 100,000 people.
In September 2020, the FBI released crime figures for 2019, however, as a complete dataset for Reading was not included in that release, 2018 data is shown here.
How does Reading compare?
Reading has a higher overall crime rate than the vast majority of U.S. cities. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,580 incidents for every 100,000 people.
Reading's overall crime rate is 64% higher than the overall crime rate in Pennsylvania. Statewide, there were 230,008 crimes reported in 2018, or 1,796 for every 100,000 people.
What types of crimes are being committed?
The FBI's crime rate includes seven crime categories: three property crimes -- larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft, and four violent crimes -- aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder.
Property crime
The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2018. In Reading, however, property crimes account for only about 76% of all offenses.
Despite accounting for a smaller than average share of total offenses, property crime is more prevalent in Reading than it is nationwide. There were 1,984 property crimes in Reading in 2018, or 2,243 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,200 incidents per 100,000 people.
Larceny
Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Reading. There were 1,192 larcenies reported in Reading in 2018, or 1,347 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,595 per 100,000.
Burglary
There were 603 break-ins reported in Reading in 2018, or 682 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 327 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2018.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 229 for every 100,000 people. In Reading, meanwhile, there were 189 motor vehicle thefts in 2018, or 214 for every 100,000 people.
Violent crime
Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the more than 8.4 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2018. In Reading, however, violent offenses account for a larger 24% share of all reported crime.
At 702 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Reading is well above the national violent crime rate of 381 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Reading reported a total of 621 violent crimes in 2018.
Aggravated Assault
Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Reading. There were 328 aggravated assaults reported in Reading in 2018, or 371 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 247 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.
Robbery
Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 221 robberies reported in Reading in 2018, a rate of 250 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 86 per 100,000 in 2018.
Rape
There were 53 rapes reported in Reading in 2018, or 60 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,380 rapes in 2018, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.
Murder
There were 19 homicides committed in the city in 2018. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Reading is 21.5 murders for every 100,000 people, many times higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.
Reading compared to other cities in Pennsylvania
Reading has a higher crime rate than the vast majority of all comparable cities in Pennsylvania. To be considered comparable, a city must have a complete 2018 FBI crime report and population of 5,000 or more.
Here are all comparable cities ranked by total crime rate. Click any bar or city name to see more about crime in that city.
Click here to see a list of all city crime pages.
Click here to see a list of all state crime pages.
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