What stands out worked out from the figures below

Coventry has the most affordable homes ($330k median).

Reading has the most expensive homes ($809k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Coventry	Reading
People
Population	12,326Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±3.8Highest 17% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Coventry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Reading and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Reading and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Coventry and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,213±$5kLowest 34% above U.S.	$165,912±$13kHighest 106% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,000±$23kLowest about the U.S. average	$809,000±$22kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$330Lowest 13% below U.S.	$1,991±$273Highest 41% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,284Lowest 69% above U.S.	$9,320Highest 199% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.7%±23.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	15.6%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#41 of 149 in CT	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Coventry School District	Reading
High school in town	Coventry High School	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.