City safety & data profile

ReadingMA

Reading, MA is a 25K-resident city in Middlesex County with a median household income of $165,912.

Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Reading, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Reading has a population larger than 55% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $809,000.

Data updated 2026-07-20

25K
Population
Top 45%
By size
$165,912
Median income
$809,000
Median home
3.2%
Poverty rate

The read on Reading

Reading posts a median household income higher than 96% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 4%
by median income, US cities

Where Reading income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$165,912 Top 4% higher than 96% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Below this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). This entry sits in this band. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. MA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Reading, MA beyond the headline numbers

Reading sits inside Middlesex County, Massachusetts, at roughly 42.53°N, -71.10°W. Population 24,747, $165,912 median household income. Median home value $809,000, median rent $1,991. Poverty rate 3.2%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Reading's highest-prevalence health measure is short sleep duration at 28.8%, then high blood pressure at 28.8%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Reading from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
24,747
Reading
Median Income
$165,912
+144% vs avg
Median Home Value
$809,000
+255% vs avg
Median Age
43.7
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Middlesex County) - Reading's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
1.6M+8%
Median Income
$130,847+59%
Median Home Value
$727,800+83%
Poverty Rate
7.7%-5%
Unemployment
4.3%-41%

Economics

Economics indicators for Reading, MA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,991/mo
Poverty Rate
3.2% -77% vs avg
Unemployment 3.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 66.3%
Work From Home 30.2%
Public Transit 4.5%

Population

White 85.5%
African American 0.5%
Asian 6.3%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.1%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Short Sleep Duration
28.8%
High Blood Pressure
28.8%
Obesity
23.3%
Binge Drinking
16.9%
Physical Inactivity
15.9%
Frequent Mental Distress
13.7%
Current Asthma
11.3%
Frequent Physical Distress
9.8%
Current Smoking
8.2%
Diabetes
8%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 78.3%
Annual Checkup 81.7%

Other Measures

Coronary Heart Disease
5.1%
Lack of Health Insurance
2.7%
Stroke
2.6%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Reading, MA? ▼
Reading, MA has a population of 24,747 people, located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
What is the median household income in Reading? ▼
The median household income in Reading, MA is $165,912 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 3.2%.
What is the median home value in Reading? ▼
The median home value in Reading, MA is $809,000. Median rent is $1,991/month.
What are the top health concerns in Reading? ▼
The top health indicators in Reading include Short Sleep Duration (28.8%), High Blood Pressure (28.8%), Obesity (23.3%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Reading? ▼
The median age in Reading, MA is 43.7 years. 66.3% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Reading, MA is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. With a population of 25K and a $165,912 median household income, the community faces health challenges including short sleep duration and high blood pressure. Safety alerts for the Reading area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Massachusetts

Real-time AQI for every monitored Massachusetts location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Wakefield, MA 25K Stoneham, MA 21K Lynnfield, MA 12K North Reading, MA 14K Melrose, MA 28K Woburn, MA 40K Wilmington, MA 22K Winchester, MA 21K
All cities in Massachusetts → Compare Reading vs Wakefield → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Reading's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Reading area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Reading against Massachusetts peers on any ranking lens. Explore Massachusetts

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Middlesex County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.