Reading (Township), 1874
Reading’s story
220 years in pictures
Census counts: 3,062 in 1820, 1,719 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 4 maps from 1898 on.
- 1806Reading is settled
ReadingNY
Population
1,643
2025 Census estimate · −4.4% since 2020
Median home value
$160K
Census ACS
Household income
$86K
median
Median age
46.3
years
Jobs based here
421
A commuter town
Is Reading a good place to live?
Reading’s best subject grades are an A− for civic life and a B for the outdoors; its weakest is a D for walkability. On hazard risk, just 101 of New York’s 1,216 towns do better. Sugar Hill State Forest, at 1,086 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Reading has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Reading stand out
Where Reading beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA+
Lower risk than 92% of U.S. communities
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Reading5.4
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical NY town4.2
Civic lifeA−
29% more nonprofits per person
than the typical New York town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1806
A long history
A history going back 220 years.
A commuter town
91% of working residents leave Reading for work
Where Reading’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
421jobs based in Reading
9%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Reading grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Reading is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.5 of 20; 7.6% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →SchoolsBehind 64% of New York districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $160K, 2.4 years of the county’s $68K median household incomeC+Open →HealthSchuyler Hospital 6.2 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & income$86K median household income; 421 jobs based hereBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6 miles of trails; 6% conserved landBOpen →History2 notable people born hereBOpen →Civic life5.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Reading: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Reading, and how to reach them.
PowerNew York State Elec & Gas22.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWatkins Glen Village water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers92% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Reading’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSchuyler County Board of ElectionsSchuyler County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes14891, 1487814891 68% · 14878 32%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Reading.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A+
Natural hazards: very low risk in Reading, mostly inland flooding
Reading’s FEMA hazard score is 8 of 100, against 31 of 100 in New York’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 64% come from inland flooding and 10% from drought. One declared disaster, in 2003, has brought federal aid to Reading households.
8risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1993
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
With only 0.6 jobs per working resident, most people in Reading work out of town
Among residents in Reading, 5.6% live below the poverty line. The town’s average commute is 28 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The top destinations are Dix (21%), Montour (6%) and Corning (4%). Half of commuters travel less than 19 miles.
9%work in town
| Reading | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Reading9%
Dix21%
Montour6%
Corning4%
Ithaca4%
19 mi
median commute distance
421
jobs based in Reading
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
53″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–34°
Spring34–55°
Summer57–78°
Fall40–59°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 10
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Residents of Reading are healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
In Reading, 37% of adults have high blood pressure. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Reading is ahead of New York on 5 and behind on 10.
57%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Reading | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
5 better17 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Reading | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6% |
Schuyler Hospital
6.2 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Who lives here
A typical New York spread of ages in Reading
For adults 25 and older in Reading, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 38%. By age, Reading looks like New York: each broad group is within 4 points. Since 2020, Reading has lost 4.4% of its people, to 1,643 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The midpoint age here is 46.3 years.
46.3median age · NY 39.8
| Reading | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 46.3 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 20% | 18% |
ReadingNew YorkUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school25%
Some college20%
Associate’s9%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate18%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Reading | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.2% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
OutdoorsB
Protected land: 6.3% of Reading
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 6.2 miles of trail. For Reading, the concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
6.3%conserved
| Reading | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
6.3%
conserved · 1,089 of 17,272 acres
6.2 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sugar Hill State Forest | 2.8 mi | 1,086 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 46 attractions →Seneca Lake and 23 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Reading. Close and well known come first.
16 mi LakeSeneca Lake
5 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
22 mi LakeCayuga Lake
20 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
19 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
24 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf FieldSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Reading
19pages on Reading
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Reading; the nearest are
Keuka CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Keuka Park15.6 mi$39,332 tuitionSUNY Corning Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Corning22 mi$6,534 in-state tuitionState University of New York at CortlandUniversity or college · Public · Cortland40.1 mi$8,874 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Reading residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
About Reading
Town in New York, United States
Reading is a town in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 1,719 at the 2020 census. The Town of Reading is in the northern part of the county and is east of Bath.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1806
- Area
- 27 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,391 ft
Reading’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Reading.
HectorDixTyroneStarkeyWatkins GlenReading
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Hector | #594 | C− | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Dix | #509 | C | B | — | C+ | B− |
| Tyrone | — | — | B− | — | C | C+ |
| Starkey | #657 | D | B | — | D | C |
| Watkins Glen | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C+ |
Reading, Tyrone and Watkins Glen have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Reading, Hector, Dix, Tyrone, Starkey and Watkins Glen report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Reading with a neighbor →
Questions about Reading
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Reading, NY expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
What is Reading, NY known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Ralph Henry Gabriel and Mary Wicks.