Most of Reading is in Berks County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $31.56 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 12 ZIP codes in Reading with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $980 to $1,350 a month. At the middle rent, $1,040, a full-time job would need to pay $32.20 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19601 | Berks County | $980/mo | $30.26/hr |
| 19602 | Berks County | $980/mo | $30.26/hr |
| 19603 | Berks County | $990/mo | $30.58/hr |
| 19604 | Berks County | $980/mo | $30.26/hr |
| 19605 | Berks County | $1,110/mo | $34.48/hr |
| 19606 | Berks County | $1,090/mo | $33.82/hr |
| 19607 | Berks County | $1,090/mo | $33.82/hr |
| 19608 | Berks County | $1,270/mo | $40.40/hr |
| 19609 | Berks County | $1,150/mo | $35.93/hr |
| 19610 | Berks County | $1,350/mo | $43.37/hr |
| 19611 | Berks County | $980/mo | $30.26/hr |
| 19612 | Berks County | $990/mo | $30.58/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Reading needs to pay at least $31.56 an hour before taxes, about $65,637 a year. That is the figure for Berks County, where the typical studio rent is $1,020 a month.
Yes. Across the 12 ZIP codes in Reading with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $980 to $1,350 a month. At the middle rent of $1,040, the pay needed would be $32.20 an hour.
The minimum wage in Berks County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.4 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads