What stands out worked out from the figures below

Reading has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($278k 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	Reading	Bristol
People
Population	25,612Lowest	61,462Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.	37.9±1.5Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	22.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Reading and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,912±$13kHighest 106% above U.S.	$79,076±$6kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$809,000±$22kHighest 143% above U.S.	$277,800±$8kLowest 17% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,991±$273Highest 41% above U.S.	$1,338±$45Lowest 5% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,320Highest 199% above U.S.	$5,449Lowest 75% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.5%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1967Highest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	30.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 282 in MA	#115 of 149 in CT
School district	Reading	Bristol School District
High school in town	Reading Memorial High	Bristol Central High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	14.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	6 photos →

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.