Reading ranks #2 in Massachusetts for affordable rent
Reading is ranked on 40 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 17.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Reading marked.
Reading out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
More homes per newcomer than 95% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Reading’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Reading lands in the top half on 19 of 26 lists
Each dot is Reading’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Reading does best come first.
Where Reading lands in every MA ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
D Healthiest#1 Dover · 100 / 100 #30
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#24
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#32
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#30
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#24
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#103
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#70 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Provincetown · 27.5 per resident
#54
Most library borrowing#1 West Tisbury · 34.6 per resident
#32
Best libraries for kids#1 West Tisbury · 115.2 per child
#33 People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#53
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#149
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#132
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#112
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#56 Safety
Safest#1 Groveland · 0.6
#59 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#166
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#134
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#38 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#234
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#207
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#236
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
#2 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Edgartown · 62.9%
#117
Most new homes#1 Nantucket · 17.4 per 1,000
#147
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Orange · +69.9%
#196
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Malden · 83.1 per home
#193 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#155 
The number on the right is Reading’s spot. All of Massachusetts’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MA list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.