NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Reading, PA

Metro Market Score 65.6 (Difficult), ranked #272 of 331 metros. 425 establishments, 3,878 jobs.

Metro Market Score 65.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national finance and insurance average.

Finance and Insurance employment in Reading contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom quartile at 10.0. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

41.4

LQ: 0.55

Rank #137 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

74.0

$103,302 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 10.0

Employment growth index

Rank #299 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

48.6

YoY wage change index

425 Finance and Insurance Firms in Reading

425

Establishments

-0.2% YoY

3,878

Total Employment

-6.7% YoY

$103,302

Average Annual Wage

+7.2% YoY

0.55

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Pennsylvania

#13 of 14

finance and insurance metros in state

Pennsylvania state rank

#19 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+16.0

worse than median (49.5)

Reading vs Pennsylvania Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Pennsylvania overall. The state ranks #19/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Reading	PA Statewide
Overall Score	65.6 Difficult	48.8 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#272 of 331 metros	#19 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Finance and Insurance in Other Pennsylvania Metros

Gettysburg 29.7 #48/331 Lebanon 34.2 #71/331 Williamsport 40.7 #108/331 York-Hanover 43.6 #132/331 Altoona 44.1 #140/331 Chambersburg 49.2 #165/331 Erie 49.5 #170/331 State College 49.5 #171/331 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 53.3 #203/331 Lancaster 54.3 #212/331

+ 3 more metros. View all in Pennsylvania →

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Reading's 65.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Boise City, ID 65.4 #271/331 Providence-Warwick, RI 66.0 #273/331 Appleton, WI 65.1 #270/331 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 64.7 #269/331 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 64.6 #268/331 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 64.5 #267/331 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 66.8 #274/331 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 67.0 #275/331 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 67.0 #276/331 Birmingham, AL 67.1 #277/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Pennsylvania

State-level entry risk for finance and insurance in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

West Virginia 39.8 #2/51 Ohio 48.2 #14/51 Maryland 52.6 #30/51 New Jersey 53.2 #32/51 Delaware 57.7 #44/51 New York 65.4 #49/51

Browse Finance and Insurance in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for finance and insurance across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Reading's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (90.0) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Reading, PA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment