Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Laundromats in the Reading, PA metro area
How the Reading, PA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for laundromats: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #222 of 364 scored metro areas
#11 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 45
- 6 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $365.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,239 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.1M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.8
- 75% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the laundromats around any address in the Reading metro area
The site report maps the laundromats on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Reading metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Households in the Reading metro area spend about $365.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,239 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $8.1M of household spending for each laundromat on map listings, 35% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats.
There are 45 laundromats on map listings in the Reading metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 13%, against 19% across the U.S. That comes to 2.8 for every 10,000 households, 75% above the U.S. rate of 1.6.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in the Reading metro area in 2023. That is one for every 16,324 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $520K have gone to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in the Reading metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Reading metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Reading metro area scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for laundromats, ranking #222 of 364 scored metro areas and #11 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Reading metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the laundromats counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Spending per listing | $8.1M | $12.2M | $12.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 16,324 | 17,071 | 11,865 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.7% | +3.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,239 | $2,270 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10
- Employees, 2023
- 38
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $611K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 456 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $520K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in the Reading metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the laundromats on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Reading metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardLaundromats across Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for laundromats, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Reading metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1York-Hanover, PA | 75 | 31 | 1.7 | $13.3M | +3.6% | #41 of 364 |
| 2State College, PA | 71 | 6 | 1.0 | $21.9M | −0.4% | #55 of 364 |
| 3Pittsburgh, PA | 64 | 175 | 1.6 | $13.6M | −1.3% | #95 of 364 |
| 4Lancaster, PA | 64 | 38 | 1.8 | $13.1M | +1.9% | #96 of 364 |
| 5Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 58 | 410 | 1.7 | $14.7M | +1.4% | #121 of 364 |
| 6Gettysburg, PA | 57 | 8 | 2.0 | $11.5M | +3.6% | #136 of 364 |
| 7Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 51 | 50 | 2.0 | $11.2M | +4.2% | #174 of 364 |
| 8Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 48 | 72 | 2.1 | $11M | +3.0% | #191 of 364 |
| 9Chambersburg, PA | 45 | 15 | 2.4 | $9.2M | +3.0% | #211 of 364 |
| 10Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA | 44 | 52 | 2.2 | $9.2M | +1.4% | #216 of 364 |
| 11Reading, PA | 43 | 45 | 2.8 | $8.1M | +2.7% | #222 of 364 |
Other business types in the Reading metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry83
- Clothing and shoe stores85
- Laundromats43
- Dry cleaners67
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many laundromats are in the Reading, PA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 45 laundromats in the Reading metro area. 6 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count laundromats. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in 2023.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $365.5M a year, or $2,239 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $8.1M per laundromat. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which laundromats share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for laundromats?
The Reading metro area has 2.8 laundromats per 10,000 households, 75% above the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $8.1M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. At the U.S. ratio of laundromats to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 29, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 16,324 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Reading metro area scores 43 for laundromats (lower middle), #222 of 364 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Reading metro area. It maps the laundromats on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for laundromats · All 56 business types in the Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Reading metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.