19601 ZIP Code — Reading, PA

Berks County, Pennsylvania

ZIP code 19601 is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, within Berks County. It covers approximately 3.76 square miles and serves a population of 36,003 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 484/610.

About ZIP code 19601

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $96,600. Renters make up the majority at 62%, typical of denser urban areas.

Median household income is $38,624. Poverty affects 32% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 42% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 31% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is production, transportation, and material moving, with manufacturing as the leading industry. The average commute of 24 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 11% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of obesity (48%), diabetes (17%), smoking (26%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 27% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 19601 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

36,003
population
3.76
sq mi land
Standard
ZIP type
Eastern (ET)
timezone
19601 ZIP code map
Cities in ZIP code 19601

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 19601. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City Status
Reading Acceptable
Reading Preferred
Nearby ZIP codes
19604 Reading (1.8 mi) 19611 Reading (2.3 mi) 19610 Reading (2.3 mi) 19602 Reading (2.7 mi) 19605 Reading (3.4 mi) 19609 Reading (3.6 mi) 19560 Temple (4.2 mi) 19533 Leesport (5 mi) 19607 Reading (5 mi) 19606 Reading (5.2 mi) 19608 Reading (5.6 mi) 19510 Blandon (7.2 mi)
Demographics updated 06/2026
Population
Total population 36,003
Population density 9,575 / sq mi
State FIPS 42
County FIPS 011
Geography
Land area 3.76 sq mi
Water area 0.20 sq mi
Latitude 40.3583
Longitude -75.9411
Timezone Eastern (ET)
Area code 484/610
Total population by age
Gender
Race & ethnicity
Economics updated 06/2026
Household income
Income range This ZIP County avg State avg
Under $50k 65.5% 37.5% 39.8%
$50k – $100k 24.9% 32.2% 30.8%
$100k – $200k 8.4% 24.6% 22.4%
Over $200k 1.2% 5.7% 7.1%

Demographics & statistics

36,003
Population
9,575
People per sq mi
31.7
Median age
$38,624
Median household income
$19,279
Per capita income
$96,600
Median home value
$903
Median monthly rent
37.6%
Home ownership
32.3%
Poverty rate
13.2%
Unemployment
5,971
Housing units
11.3%
Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female
1,385
Under 5
1,576
1,370
5–9
1,558
1,354
10–14
1,540
1,285
15–19
1,462
1,348
20–24
1,534
2,451
25–34
2,788
2,090
35–44
2,378
2,014
45–54
2,292
898
55–59
1,021
692
60–64
788
1,279
65–74
1,456
466
75–84
531
209
85+
238
← Male
Female →

Age summary

GroupCount%
Under 1810,51529.2%
18 and over25,48870.8%
65 and over4,17911.6%
Median age31.7 years

Race & ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 31.5%
White 22.6%
Other race 20.7%
Two or more races 13.5%
Black or African American 9.2%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
GroupCount%
Hispanic or Latino16,52931.5%
White11,86522.6%
Other race10,86320.7%
Two or more races7,11413.5%
Black or African American4,8499.2%
Asian7541.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native5581.1%

Household income

Income range This ZIP County avg State avg
Under $50k 65.5% 37.5% 39.8%
$50k – $100k 24.9% 32.2% 30.8%
$100k – $200k 8.4% 24.6% 22.4%
Over $200k 1.2% 5.7% 7.1%
Under $10k 10.7%
$10k–$15k 10.1%
$15k–$25k 14.9%
$25k–$35k 10.6%
$35k–$50k 13.0%
$50k–$75k 19.1%
$75k–$100k 8.2%
$100k–$150k 8.5%
$150k–$200k 3.3%
$200k+ 1.5%
Range% of households
Under $10k10.7%
$10k–$15k10.1%
$15k–$25k14.9%
$25k–$35k10.6%
$35k–$50k13.0%
$50k–$75k19.1%
$75k–$100k8.2%
$100k–$150k8.5%
$150k–$200k3.3%
$200k+1.5%
Median income$38,624

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 18.8%
$50k–$100k 35.5%
$100k–$150k 18.2%
$150k–$200k 12.6%
$200k–$300k 9.9%
$300k–$500k 3.0%
$500k–$1M 1.9%
$1M+ 0.1%

Housing overview

MetricValue
Median home value$96,600
Median rent / month$903
Owner occupied37.6%
Renter occupied62.4%
Vacant8.3%
Single-family detached12.2%
Large apartment buildings9.5%
Mobile homes0.4%
Median rooms5.4
Avg household size (owned)2.90

Year built

Era%
2020 or later0.0%
2010–20192.5%
2000–20090.9%
1990–19993.0%
1980–19896.0%
1970–197910.7%
1960–19696.4%
1950–195912.0%
1940–19498.4%
1939 or earlier50.1%

Bedrooms

Size% of units
No bedroom (studio)3.9%
1 bedroom20.1%
2 bedrooms20.4%
3 bedrooms25.5%
4 bedrooms12.6%
5+ bedrooms17.5%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles% of households
No vehicle25.6%
1 vehicle41.6%
2 vehicles23.4%
3 or more9.4%

Heating fuel

Fuel type%
Utility gas51.7%
Electricity29.9%
Propane / LP gas3.1%
Fuel oil14.3%
Wood0.1%
No fuel used0.5%

Households & families

Household typeCount%
Married-couple family3,04623.8%
Cohabiting couple1,49911.7%
Male householder, no spouse3,06423.9%
Female householder, no spouse5,19740.6%
Households with children under 184,74737.1%
Households with seniors (65+)3,43326.8%
Average household size2.77

Marital status

StatusMaleFemale
Never married54.0%50.5%
Married30.1%25.0%
Separated1.5%4.9%
Widowed1.4%8.4%
Divorced13.0%11.3%

Education

Less than 9th grade 14.3%
Some HS, no diploma 14.5%
HS graduate 36.6%
Some college, no degree 15.7%
Associate's degree 7.6%
Bachelor's degree 7.7%
Graduate / professional 3.7%
Metric%
HS diploma or higher71.2%
Bachelor's or higher11.3%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

TypeCount%
Nursery / preschool6616.5%
Kindergarten4284.2%
Elementary school4,80047.4%
High school2,55725.2%
College / grad school1,69016.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Manufacturing 21.4%
Education & healthcare 19.0%
Retail trade 11.1%
Arts, food & hospitality 9.6%
Professional & management 7.9%
Transportation & utilities 6.7%
Construction 5.9%
Agriculture & mining 5.5%
Other services 4.3%
Finance & real estate 4.1%
Wholesale trade 2.3%
Public administration 1.4%
Information 0.8%

Occupation

Category%
Management, business & arts17.8%
Service23.5%
Sales & office15.8%
Natural resources & construction10.5%
Production & transportation32.5%

Employment type

Type%
Private sector90.6%
Government5.8%
Self-employed3.3%
Unpaid family workers0.3%

Commute

Method%
Drive alone60.9%
Carpool15.3%
Public transit4.4%
Walk6.5%
Work from home3.7%
Other means9.2%
Avg commute (minutes)24.0

Poverty

All people 32.3%
Under 18 years 45.8%
18 and over 26.8%
Married-couple families 16.8%
Female-led households 37.4%

Income support

Source% of households
Social Security30.5%
Retirement income16.3%
Supplemental Security13.7%
Cash public assistance8.0%
Food stamps / SNAP41.6%

Health indicators

Condition%
Obesity47.5%
High blood pressure35.0%
High cholesterol30.5%
Diabetes16.6%
Heart disease7.7%
Stroke4.4%
Asthma11.8%
Arthritis26.6%
Kidney disease4.1%
Pulmonary disease9.7%
Cancer4.8%
Behavior / access%
Smoking25.9%
Binge drinking16.1%
No physical activity41.2%
Less than 7 hrs sleep40.1%
Depression22.5%
Fair or poor health29.2%
Poor mental health19.3%
Poor physical health16.7%
No health insurance28.5%
Visited doctor (checkup)76.3%
Visited dentist45.7%
Cholesterol screening82.7%
Teeth loss29.4%

Veterans & disability

VeteransCount%
Civilian veterans8253.2%
Disability%
Any disability21.5%
Under 1812.0%
18–64 years20.4%
65 and over50.8%

Health insurance coverage

Type%
Private insurance39.2%
Public insurance57.8%
No insurance11.4%
Uninsured under 195.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

LanguageCount%
English only33,04291.8%
Spanish8,80326.6%
Other Indo-European8,28625.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander2420.7%
Other languages1170.4%

Place of birth & citizenship

OriginCount%
Native born (US)28,62779.5%
Born in same state22,89363.6%
Born in different state16,95547.1%
Foreign born5,73415.9%
Naturalized citizen7,37620.5%
Not a US citizen3,30644.8%

Ancestry

AncestryCount%
Italian1,0022.8%
English7062%
Arab6081.7%
AncestryCount%
French4661.3%
German350.1%
Polish220.1%

Technology access

Metric% of households
Computer access35.6%
Internet access88.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 19601

What city is ZIP code 19601 in?

ZIP code 19601 is primarily assigned to Reading, Pennsylvania.

What county is ZIP code 19601 in?

ZIP code 19601 falls within Berks County, Pennsylvania.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 19601?

32% of residents in ZIP code 19601 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Is ZIP code 19601 mostly rentals?

62% of occupied units in ZIP code 19601 are renter-occupied.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 19601?

Approximately 27% of households in ZIP code 19601 speak Spanish as a primary language.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 19601?

11% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

What timezone is ZIP code 19601 in?

ZIP code 19601 observes the EST timezone.

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