United States › Massachusetts › Reading CITY
Reading Massachusetts · 25,612 residents · 9.98 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO 1990 Census 2000 Census 2009 ACS 2010 ACS 2011 ACS 2012 ACS 2013 ACS 2014 ACS 2015 ACS 2016 ACS 2017 ACS 2018 ACS 2019 ACS 2020 ACS 2021 ACS 2022 ACS 2023 ACS
The short version
Reading is home to 25,612 people in Massachusetts. 66% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $809,000. Households take in $165,912 a year at the median, 102% more than the country as a whole. That is roughly 60% ahead of the Massachusetts median. That puts it in the top 1% of US cities for household income.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.7
US median: 38.9
More educated
66% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 66%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth 2,567 / sq mi
+10%since 2009
from 2,331 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
from 39.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Population, 1990 – 2024
22K 23K 24K 25K 26K 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 Reading Age distribution, 2024
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy $165,912
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $77,059 in 2000
US average: $82,259
from $32,888 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
from 63.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
from 2.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
from 0.402 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Public administration 8.9%
Arts, entertainment, food 3.3%
Professional, scientific, technical 2%
Transportation & warehousing 1.8%
Education & health services 0.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 0.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
$809,000
+66%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $268,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
$1,991
+48%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $739 in 2000
US average: $1,442
from 82.5% in 2000
17.6% rent
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
from 2.71 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
from 33.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
from 38.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
from 4.7 in 2009
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity 2000
White, non-Hispanic 95.8%(22,721)
Hispanic / Latino 0.8%(200)
2024
White, non-Hispanic 84.3%(21,585)
Hispanic / Latino 5.6%(1,431)
from 11 in 2009
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry Hispanic origin
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data Ancestry
+ 31 more ancestry groups with data from 47.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
from 94.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
from 19.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06
Commute & transportation from 18.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
from 81.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07
Work & employment from 5.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
from 72.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
from 86.1% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
from 14.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
from 54.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08
People & community from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
from 6.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
from 1.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 90.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
from 95.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
from 93.9% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
from 90.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
from 0.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married 25.8%(2,546)
Women 15+
Never married 25.1%(2,744)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage from 1.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
from 79.1% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
from 13.9% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
from 19.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
from 8.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
from 1.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
from 89.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
from 25.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later) 10.6%(94)
Gulf War (1990s) 19.8%(176)
Share of the 887 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper
Places similar to Reading Head to head
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READING VS
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READING VS
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READING VS
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Reading, Massachusetts? Reading, Massachusetts has about 25,612 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Reading, Massachusetts? The typical household in Reading, Massachusetts earns about $165,912 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Reading, Massachusetts expensive? In Reading, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $809,000, and the typical rent is about $1,991 a month.
How educated are people in Reading, Massachusetts? About 66.3% of adults age 25 and over in Reading, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Reading, Massachusetts? About 3.2% of people in Reading, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.
Has Reading, Massachusetts grown since 1990? Yes, Reading, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 3,073 residents, a change of about 14 percent over that period.
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