menu
Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Reading, MA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Reading profile


Living in Reading



Reading is a medium-sized town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 25,205 people and four associated neighborhoods, Reading is the 77th largest community in Massachusetts.

Reading home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Reading real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Reading has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Reading telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 22.21% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Reading is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Because of many things, Reading is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Reading a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Reading has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Reading’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

One downside of living in Reading, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 31.89 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Reading is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Reading area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Reading, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Reading is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 64.65% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Reading in 2018 was $66,745, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $266,980 for a family of four.

Reading is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Reading home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Reading residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Reading include Irish, Italian, English, German, and French Canadian.

The most common language spoken in Reading is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Langs. of India.