What stands out worked out from the figures below

East Hampton has the most affordable homes ($349k median).

Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	East Hampton	Reading
People
Population	12,925Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.6±3.7Lowest 12% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Reading and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Reading and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	East Hampton and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	East Hampton and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,577±$11kLowest 54% above U.S.	$165,912±$13kHighest 106% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$349,000±$14kLowest 5% above U.S.	$809,000±$22kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$150Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,991±$273Highest 41% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,681Lowest 114% above U.S.	$9,320Highest 199% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.7%±16.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	East Hampton and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	12.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#75 of 149 in CT	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	East Hampton School District	Reading
High school in town	East Hampton High School	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	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.