Is Reading, PA Safe? 2026 Crime Rates & Safety Report
Key facts
- 01
Reading, Pennsylvania reported 84.36 robbery offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.75 times the national reference of 48.24 per 100,000 and 36.12 per 100,000 above that reference, with 80 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 02
Reading, Pennsylvania reported 159.22 aggravated assault offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 0.69 times the national reference of 229.56 per 100,000 and 70.34 per 100,000 below that reference, with 151 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 03
Reading, Pennsylvania reported 911.05 larceny-theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 0.82 times the national reference of 1,106.97 per 100,000 and 195.92 per 100,000 below that reference, with 864 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 04
Reading, Pennsylvania reported 218.27 burglary offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.16 times the national reference of 188.15 per 100,000 and 30.12 per 100,000 above that reference, with 207 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 05
Reading, Pennsylvania reported 210.89 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.09 times the national reference of 193.00 per 100,000 and 17.89 per 100,000 above that reference, with 200 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
Quick answer
In the Safety Atlas 2026 public safety index, Reading, PA has an adjusted safety score of 50.47 out of 100. It ranks #2 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Pennsylvania. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing.
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Data, definitions and reuse
Violent: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault. Property: burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, arson. Subcategories are excluded to avoid double counting. Counts are offenses reported to police in this jurisdiction, not rates, neighborhood scores or a census of all crime.
| Month | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 93 |
| Feb | 17 | 69 |
| Mar | 32 | 93 |
| Apr | 17 | 91 |
| May | 16 | 108 |
| Jun | 34 | 114 |
| Jul | 26 | 144 |
| Aug | 26 | 142 |
| Sep | 15 | 131 |
| Oct | 22 | 97 |
| Nov | 15 | 104 |
| Dec | 16 | 90 |
Reuse under CC BY 4.0; indicate changes. The downloaded image carries our name, licence and source in its metadata. Embed code:
<img src="https://www.safetyatlas.us/img/charts/reading-pa-crime-trend-2025.webp" alt="Chart of Reading, PA crime statistics: Reading reported 256 violent offenses in 2025, 22.7% fewer than in 2024. Shows a dot chart of violent offenses in 2024 and 2025." width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto">
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.safetyatlas.us/safety/pa/reading">Safety Atlas, Reading, PA</a>. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.</p>
2026 edition, FBI source year 2025.
Reading in 7 numbers
- Robbery fell 18%. 80 reports in 2025 vs 98 in 2024 (−18%), the largest year-over-year move of any indicator offense.
- More than a third of all reports are property crime. 1,477 of 4,292 reports (34.4%); Simple assault alone is 1,140 (26.6%).
- Clearances skew toward violent crime. 68.9% of aggravated assaults cleared vs 11.9% of larcenies and 14.5% of motor vehicle thefts (2025, reports cleared ÷ reports received).
- A second look at robbery. March (13) ran 13.0× September (1); the year finished down 18%.
- Robbery is volatile but down. Monthly counts swung 13.0× (Mar 13 vs Sep 1); the year finished 18% below 2024.
- The biggest volume isn’t violent. Larceny-theft (864) and vandalism (678) dwarf the whole personal-safety total (268, 6.2% of reports).
- Small months, big bars. December’s 9 robberies vs March’s 13 is a gap of 4 reports, monthly charts amplify small-number swings. Read the 12-month direction, not one bar.
Takeaways are computed from FBI CDE reported counts (source year 2025, PA0061400). They describe reported data, not forecasts; check the methodology and coverage notes before reuse.
Every number on this page ships in the Pennsylvania workbook.
Key Public Safety Indicators
Reported rates per 100,000 residents; national references shown alongside.
| Offense Class | Annual Count | Rate per 100K | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery | 80 | 84.36 | 48.24 |
1.75× national |
| Aggravated Assault | 151 | 159.22 | 229.56 | 0.69× national |
| Burglary | 207 | 218.27 | 188.15 |
1.16× national |
| Larceny-theft | 864 | 911.05 | 1106.97 | 0.82× national |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 200 | 210.89 | 193.0 |
1.09× national |
Reading monthly trend: reported counts through December 2025
Annual totals hide timing. The bars below show 2025 reported counts per month for the three highest-relative indicator offenses; each table carries the same numbers with FBI pre-computed rates. The full 19-offense monthly series (2020-2025) is downloadable below.
Robbery, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 80 reports vs 98 in 2024 (down 18% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 6 | 6.04 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 6 | 6.04 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 13 | 13.09 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 3 | 3.02 | Full |
| May 2025 | 4 | 4.03 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 8 | 8.06 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 6 | 6.04 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 6 | 6.04 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 1.01 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 11 | 11.08 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 7 | 7.05 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 9 | 9.06 | Full |
Burglary, month by month
→ Stable, 207 reports vs 228 in 2024 (about level in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 15 | 15.11 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 13 | 13.09 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 14 | 14.1 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 16 | 16.11 | Full |
| May 2025 | 15 | 15.11 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 16 | 16.11 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 22 | 22.16 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 15 | 15.11 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 32 | 32.23 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 18 | 18.13 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 11 | 11.08 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 20 | 20.14 | Full |
Motor Vehicle Theft, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 200 reports vs 223 in 2024 (down 10% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 10 | 10.07 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 3 | 3.02 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 6 | 6.04 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 12 | 12.08 | Full |
| May 2025 | 30 | 30.21 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 27 | 27.19 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 35 | 35.25 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 25 | 25.18 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 22 | 22.16 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 12 | 12.08 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 8 | 8.06 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 10 | 10.07 | Full |
Clearances: what got cleared in 2025
69% of aggravated assaults cleared vs 12% of larcenies, clearance follows violent crime, not volume.
| Offense | Reported | Cleared | Clearance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 11 | 6 | 54.5% |
| Aggravated Assault | 151 | 104 | 68.9% |
| Robbery | 80 | 24 | 30.0% |
| Burglary | 207 | 59 | 28.5% |
| Larceny-theft | 864 | 103 | 11.9% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 200 | 29 | 14.5% |
Clearances ÷ reports received; clearances may concern earlier reports, so this is not a solve rate.
Monthly counts and FBI pre-computed rates per 100,000, FBI CDE source year 2025, PA0061400. Rates use FBI month-specific covered-population denominators and are shown as published, not recomputed. A hyphen (-) means not reported, not zero. Annual totals equal the sum of shown months within ±2% (see manifest).
Downloads: Reading monthly series (JSON) · same data (CSV) · build manifest
Comparing Reading to somewhere else? Take the file with you.
What drives Reading's safety score?
Reading ranks in the middle half of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Pennsylvania, ahead of approximately 67% of that scored set. The profile uses a reporting population of 94,836 and source-year data through 2025; it is a citywide agency-level comparison, not a neighborhood forecast.
The strongest of the three score components is Property Security at 60.91, while Community Order is lowest at 27.16. The 33.75-point spread shows why the composite should be read by component instead of as a single absolute claim about safety.
Among the five public offense indicators, Robbery is highest relative to its national reference at 84.36 per 100,000 (1.75× the national rate). Aggravated Assault is lowest on the same relative basis at 159.22 per 100,000 (0.69× national).
Coverage check: 18 of 18 tracked offense classes have reportable values in this profile. Missing values are not converted to zero.
Public indicator mix
Reading, Pennsylvania recorded 864 larceny-theft offenses in 2025, 57.5% of the 1,502 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 80 robbery reports (5.3%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Reading, Pennsylvania recorded 207 burglary offenses in 2025, 13.8% of the 1,502 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 80 robbery reports (5.3%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Reading, Pennsylvania recorded 200 motor vehicle theft offenses in 2025, 13.3% of the 1,502 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 80 robbery reports (5.3%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Reading, Pennsylvania uses a reporting population of 94,836 residents and has values for 18 of the 18 tracked offense classes (100.0%) in its 2025 profile; coverage describes available classes rather than the share of residents reporting crime.
Reading, Pennsylvania has an adjusted score of 50.47 points out of 100 versus 63.72 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a difference of 13.25 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Reading ranks 2 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Reading, Pennsylvania has an adjusted score of 50.47 points out of 100 versus 49.61 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a difference of 0.86 points above that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Reading ranks 2 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Detailed Crime Class Breakdown
Additional tracked offense classes
- Homicide
- Rape
- Kidnapping/Abduction
- Human Trafficking
- Arson
- Theft From Building
- Theft From Motor Vehicle
- Simple Assault
- Intimidation
- Stolen Property Offenses
- Vandalism
- Weapon Law Violations
- Drug/Narcotic Violations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Reading safe compared to other places in Pennsylvania?
Reading is classified as having moderate relative safety in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index. It has an adjusted safety score of 50.47 out of 100 and ranks #2 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Pennsylvania.
What is the crime rate in Reading?
Public offense rates are listed above.
What is Reading's safety rating?
Reading's safety rating in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index is 50.47 out of 100, which ranks #2 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Pennsylvania. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing, using source-year data through 2025.
What is the safest neighborhood in Reading?
This profile covers the reporting jurisdiction; consult local sources for neighborhood detail.
Why are some crime statistics locked for Reading?
Full offense series: state workbook.
How fresh is the monthly crime data on this page?
Monthly figures track FBI CDE source year 2025, the same vintage as the annual table above. A new FBI release typically lags several months; the caption stamps the source year and export date. Values can revise when the FBI re-publishes. Full monthly series for Reading are downloadable as JSON and CSV.
Why does the monthly chart move so much?
Monthly counts are small numbers, a difference of a few reports swings the bar. Reporting practice, staffing, and seasonal patterns all move single months. Read the 12-month direction in the trajectory line, not one bar. This profile measures the reporting jurisdiction only; it cannot rank neighborhoods within Reading.
What does the clearance rate on this page mean?
It divides 2025 reports cleared by 2025 reports received for that offense, including clearances of earlier reports, so it is a workload snapshot, not a guarantee a given case is solved. In Reading, violent offenses clear at far higher rates than property offenses (aggravated assault 69%, larceny-theft 11.9%). Monthly clearance detail is not published yet.
Reading notes
Safety Atlas methodology · 2026 coverage report
Cite This Public Safety Profile
Citation formats:
Primary Source Data Integrity
- Crime Counts: FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) database.
- Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimate boundaries.
- Methodology: Adjusted per-capita normalization with small-sample relief controls. View our complete Methodology Documentation.