Reading, MA

Census Place

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2024 Population
25,612
US Senator
Elizabeth Warren
Democratic Party
US Senator
Ed Markey
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
43.7
0.907% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
3.16%
17.8% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$165,912
1.34% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$809,000
9.16% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
13,300
0.709% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Reading, MA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.7% of the residents in Reading, MA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Reading, MA was $809,000, and the homeownership rate was 82.4%.

Most people in Reading, MA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Reading, MA was 2 cars per household.

United StatesMassachusettsMiddlesex County, MABoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMiddlesex County--Lexington, Burlington & Wilmington PUMA, MAMiddlesex County--Woburn, Melrose & Reading PUMA, MAEssex County (Central)--Peabody, Danvers & Saugus PUMA, MA

Population & Diversity

Reading, MA is home to a population of 25.6k people, from which 96.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 9.3% of Reading, MA residents were born outside of the country (2.38k people).

In 2024, there were 13.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (21.6k people) in Reading, MA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.61k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 951 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.7%
2024 Citizenship
97%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.7% of Reading, MA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Reading, MA was 97%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Reading, MA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Reading, MA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    21.6k ± 1.02k
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    1.61k ± 913
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    951 ± 497
5.59%
Hispanic Population
1.43k people

In 2024, there were 13.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (21.6k people) in Reading, MA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.61k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 951 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

5.59% of the people in Reading, MA are hispanic (1.43k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Reading, MA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Massachusetts.
Most Common Origin
  1. China
    103,356 ± 7,834 people
  2. Brazil
    101,793 ± 7,776 people
  3. Dominican Republic
    101,190 ± 7,753 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Massachusetts was China, the natal country of 103,356 Massachusetts residents, followed by Brazil with 101,793 and Dominican Republic with 101,190.

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Foreign-Born Population

9.3%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
2.38k people
8.76%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
2.23k people

As of 2024, 9.3% of Reading, MA residents (2.38k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Reading, MA was 8.76%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Reading, MA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    295 ± 106
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    153 ± 111
  3. Gulf War (2001-)
    94 ± 56

Reading, MA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.93 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Reading, MA.

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Economy

The economy of Reading, MA employs 13.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Reading, MA were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (2,508 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,777 people), and Educational Services (1,728 people), and the highest paying industries were Manufacturing ($148,952), Information ($146,641), and Finance & Insurance ($126,548).

Employment

Occupations

13.3k
2024 Value
± 862
−0.709%
1 Year decline
± 9.43%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Reading, MA declined at a rate of −0.709%, from 13.4k employees to 13.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Reading, MA, are Management Occupations (2,243 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,589 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (1,125 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Reading, MA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Massachusetts.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Massachusetts (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

13.3k
2024 Value
± 862
−0.709%
1 Year decline
± 9.43%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Reading, MA declined at a rate of −0.709%, from 13.4k employees to 13.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Reading, MA, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (2,508 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,777 people), and Educational Services (1,728 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Reading, MA, though some of these residents may live in Reading, MA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$108,962
Median earning men ± $10,702
$78,912
Median earning women ± $6,156

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($160,338), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($122,352), and Information ($122,279).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($146,875), Manufacturing ($121,875), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($121,625).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Massachusetts.
Y-Axis
2.61%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.67M people employed in Massachusetts. This represents a 2.61% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 17.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Massachusetts.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Massachusetts went to Kamala Harris with 61.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (36%), followed by Other (1.48%).

Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey are the senators currently representing the state of Massachusetts. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Massachusetts is currently represented by 9 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Reading, MA. Showing the available data for Massachusetts.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (61.2%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (36%)
    Republican Party
  3. Other (1.48%)
    Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Massachusetts went to Kamala Harris with 61.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (36%), followed by Other (1.48%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Massachusetts for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Massachusetts

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Massachusetts.
Elizabeth Warren
Senator from Massachusetts1
Assumed office on January 3, 2013
Ed Markey
Senator from Massachusetts2
Assumed office on July 16, 2013
Elected to the seat to succeed Mo Cowan, who had been appointed to the seat following the resignation of John Kerry, who had become Secretary of State.

Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey are the senators currently representing Massachusetts.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Massachusetts over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Reading, MA was $809,000 in 2024, which is 2.43 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $741,100 to $809,000, a 9.16% increase. The homeownership rate in Reading, MA is 82.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Reading, MA have an average commute time of 30.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Reading, MA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$809,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$21,607
$8,028
Median Property Taxes
±$571

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Reading, MA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Reading, MA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

82.4%
Homeownership
2024
62.2%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 82.4% of the housing units in Reading, MA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 83.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Reading, MA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$165,912
Median Household Income
± $12,806
9.74k
Number of Households
± 666

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.74k households in Reading, MA grew to $165,912 from the previous year's value of $163,725.

The following chart displays the households in Reading, MA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Reading, MA is from Massachusetts.
0.478
2023 Wage GINI in Massachusetts
0.48
2022 Wage GINI in Massachusetts

In 2023, the income inequality in Massachusetts was 0.478 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.384% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Massachusetts was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in Massachusetts in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Massachusetts across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (56.9%)
  2. Worked At Home (30.2%)
  3. Carpooled (7.01%)

In 2024, 56.9% of workers in Reading, MA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (30.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.01%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

30.9 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Reading, MA have a longer commute time (30.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.77% of the workforce in Reading, MA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Reading, MA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Reading, MA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Reading, MA have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

3.16% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Reading, MA (804 out of 25.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Reading, MA is White, followed by Asian and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

98.1% of the population of Reading, MA has health coverage, with 67.1% on employee plans, 3.39% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 12.4% on non-group plans, and 0.721% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Massachusetts see 990 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (990 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 915 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 130 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.5% under 18 years, 14.5% between 18 and 34 years, 40.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.4% were men and 51.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

1.92%
Uninsured
67.1%
Employer Coverage
3.39%
Medicaid
14.5%
Medicare
12.4%
Non-Group
0.721%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Reading, MA declined by 6.24% from 2.04% to 1.92%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Reading, MA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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