Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Reading is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 19th of 282 in Massachusetts. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, the median household earns $166K, and it reports less crime per resident than 87% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $910K, 7.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 85 places on the National Register. Reading’s median household income is $166,000, against $120,000 in Massachusetts’ towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Parker Tavern and Joseph Bancroft House. On hazard risk, just 24 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better.
Where Reading beats most towns.
Its 85 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Massachusetts towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,802 in 1790, 25,518 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1694 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
Reading takes its name from Reading in Berkshire, England, 3,230 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionReading, settled in 1639, takes its name from Reading, a city in Berkshire, England.
1 more U.S. town is named after Reading:Reading, PA95,832
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Reading is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Reading. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw14 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
14 mi LakeWalden Pond
12 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
12 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Reading, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Reading.
Reading reports less crime than North Reading or any other graded neighbor and has less food insecurity than most of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 6.4% of its 19,701 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide.
23% of adults have obesity in Reading. Reading beats the Massachusetts average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 9.8% of adults report frequent physical distress in Reading.
| Reading | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Reading | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.4% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.7% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $910K.
Its public schools are run by the Reading school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter S Parker MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 467 | B |
| Reading Memorial HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,094 | A+ |
| Joshua EatonTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 388 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its A tops all 6 graded towns on its borders; North Reading (A−) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Reading is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Reading | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Reading.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
18 miles of trail in 36 parks and preserves. Reading’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Cedar Swamp, at 426 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reading Town Forest | 6.8 mi | 303 |
| 2. Bare Meadow Conservation Area | 2.3 mi | 110 |
| 3. Kurchian Woods | 2.1 mi | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 7.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $910K) costs more against local pay than in 79% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,320, against $5,992 across Massachusetts, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Reading home is worth about $910,000, up 3.1% in a year, 39% above the Massachusetts typical home. 82% of Reading households own their home.
| Reading | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,991 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
30.2% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Reading for work: only 8% work in town. The top destinations are Boston (23%), Cambridge (6%) and Woburn (5%). Half commute less than 11 miles.
| Reading | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reading has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
44 within 15 miles of the center of Reading
About 3 of every 100 Reading residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Reading’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
85 places in Reading on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Reading.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Reading ( RED-ing) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, 16 miles (26 km) north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Reading.
At #19 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; North Reading (A) comes closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | #19 | A+ | D | A | A− | A+ |
| North Reading | #51 | A | D− | A− | A | A+ |
| Wakefield | #66 | A | D | A− | B+ | A+ |
| Woburn | #177 | B | D | B | C+ | A |
| Lynnfield | #64 | A | D | B+ | A | A+ |
| Wilmington | #108 | A− | D | B | B | A |
| Stoneham | #84 | A− | D | B+ | B | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Reading grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #19 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
22 notable people were born here, including James Cerretani and Joe Whitney.
