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.Reading is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 91.58% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Reading is a town of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Reading who work in management occupations (15.25%), business and financial occupations (13.35%), and teaching (9.18%). 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. One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 22.21% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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 people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel. Reading is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Reading’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country. One downside of living in Reading is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Reading, the average commute to work is 31.89 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. For the size of the town, public transportation in Reading is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking the train. For Reading, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Reading. 64.65% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%. The per capita income in Reading in 2022 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.
