Reading is a medium-sized town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 25,428 people and four associated neighborhoods, Reading is the 77th largest community in Massachusetts.

Housing costs in Reading are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.

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.

A relatively large number of people in Reading telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 27.70% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. 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". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Reading is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Reading’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

In Reading, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 31.18 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average. One bright side is that local public transit is widely used, so it may be an option to avoid the headache of driving in the heavy traffic by leaving the car at home and taking transit.

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 like to read, write and learn? If you move to Reading, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Reading is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 65.08% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Reading in 2022 was $71,474, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $285,896 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.