Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Among 72 Vermont towns, just 2 have a higher average trip to work than Reading. 37% of the land in Reading is conserved, above both Vermont’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Arthur Davis Wildlife Management Area, 5,320 acres with 8.6 miles of trail. Reading has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Reading beats most towns.
Census counts: 747 in 1790, a peak of 1,603 in 1820, 687 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 3 maps from 1929 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Reading. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Ski areaKillington Resort184 runs · 3,031 ft vertical
9 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
31 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
11 mi National Historical ParkSaint-Gaudens National Historical Park28K visitors a year
26 mi Ski areaBromley Mountain Ski Resort;Bromley Mountain67 runs · 1,297 ft vertical
39 mi National forestGreen Mountain National ForestKillington Resort: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bromley Mountain Ski Resort;Bromley Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Green Mountain National Forest: Brian W. Schaller, FAL
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Reading.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Arthur Davis Wildlife Management Area | 8.6 mi | 5,320 |
| 2. Coolidge State Forest | 2.5 mi | 1,074 |
| 3. Knapp Brook Wildlife Management Area | — | 353 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 34 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Reading for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Woodstock (11%), Windsor (11%) and Lebanon (10%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Reading | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 16% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 9% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 28% of residents (22% statewide). Reading’s median age is 51.1 years. 46% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Vermont.
| Reading | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.1 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 22% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 40% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 19% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.2 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Reading | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.4% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.5% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.3% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.4% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.9% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 700, single groups can be off by several points
The July high in Reading is 77°F. Reading has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reading beats the Vermont average on 11 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 13% of Reading adults report frequent mental distress. Only 4 of the 72 Vermont towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Reading.
| Reading | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Reading | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6% | 9.2% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 4.4% | 6.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.4% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Reading home is worth about $427,000, up 2% in a year, 9% above the Vermont typical home. 85% of households own their home in Reading.
| Reading | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,100 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Reading.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Reading
About 3 of every 100 Reading residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Reading on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Vermont, United States
Reading is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 687 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Reading has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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