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. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 22.21% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre. 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. 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.
