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Reading

Interactive map displaying Reading

About

Reading sits in Berkshire at the confluence of the River Kennet and the Thames, about 40 miles west of London. The town centre grew around Reading Abbey, founded in 1121, and the abbey ruins lie beside Forbury Gardens and the Maiwand Lion memorial. The Oracle follows the line of the Kennet through the centre and opens onto the riverside quay. Reading station is a rail junction on the Great Western Main Line, with services to London Paddington and routes west toward Bristol and the West Country.

The borough is a unitary authority that combines commercial, university and residential areas. The University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus sits to the south and hosts research and teaching facilities. Business parks around Green Park and along the A33 support technology and service firms. The Thames Path and Kennet towpath provide continuous riverside routes through the district for walkers and cyclists. Local markets and seasonal events use the town square and riverside spaces, and the rivers form part of the district’s flood management and utility infrastructure.

Area overview

On average Reading has average deprivation and high crime levels, with around 86 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, in line with the South East average of 84 per 1,000. Approximately 14.5% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Reading is £62,260 per year. There are 52 schools in Reading: 41 primary (4 Outstanding and 35 Good) and 11 secondary (2 Outstanding and 5 Good). Reading is home to around 174,224 people, with a population density of about 4,312.6 per km².

Crime rate
8/10
Crimes per 1k residents
86
Deprivation level
5/10
Income level
5/10
Social housing
14.5%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Reading Population
174,224
Population density
4,312.6 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
40.02(+26%)
Shoplifting
16.28(+104%)
Anti-social behaviour
11.66(-5%)
Other theft
9.25(+65%)
Public order
8.58(+41%)
South East average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
93,167
53.48%
Other White
20,999
12.05%
Indian
10,777
6.19%
Pakistani
8,279
4.75%
Other Asian
7,959
4.57%
Total population: 174,223

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
57,149
40.43%
Level 3 (A level)
23,734
16.79%
No qualifications
22,361
15.82%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
15,070
10.66%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
12,932
9.15%
Total 16+ residents: 141,362

Housing

Housing tenure

Private landlord or letting agency
20,373
30.1%
Owns with a mortgage
18,707
27.64%
Owns outright
15,426
22.79%
Social rents from council
6,145
9.08%
Other social rented
4,779
7.06%
Total households: 67,683

Property prices in Reading

Median price£345,000
Price per sq ft£406
Sales (last 12 months)1,662
Typical range (middle 50%)£265K – £440K

Based on 1,662 recent sales, the median property price is £345,000 (about £406 per square foot) in Reading area, with individual transactions ranging from £75,000 up to £1,735,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Reading over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached166£617,500£461
Semi-Detached395£430,000£436
Terraced605£345,000£411
Flats496£225,000£360

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Reading

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Reading.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£540,000£226,458£365,000£300,000
2017£540,000£245,000£358,000£296,500
2018£566,825£238,000£372,000£305,000
2019£550,000£235,000£356,000£297,000
2020£517,250£238,000£360,000£295,000
2021£615,000£225,000£375,000£301,550
2022£650,000£250,000£430,000£340,000
2023£665,700£250,000£427,000£335,000
2024£635,000£245,000£425,000£331,000
2025£625,000£228,000£438,500£345,000
2026£570,000£227,500£415,000£345,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Reading.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Reading.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£400£410£367£354
2017£402£404£369£359
2018£391£389£368£358
2019£390£379£363£350
2020£389£386£375£349
2021£430£373£386£363
2022£454£407£429£405
2023£460£395£425£406
2024£451£395£418£400
2025£470£373£434£411
2026£447£346£429£403
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Reading.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Reading in the last year.

Frequently asked questions about Reading

Is Reading safe?

Reading records about 86 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a high crime rate for England: it scores 8 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

Which is the safest ward in Reading?

Among the 16 wards of Reading, Caversham Heights has the lowest crime rate, with about 32 crimes per 1,000 residents per year (the Reading average is 86 per 1,000) based on official Police.uk data.

What is the average house price in Reading?

The median sale price in Reading is £345,000 (about £406 per square foot) based on 1,662 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in Reading?

Reading has 41 primary schools (4 rated Outstanding, 35 Good) and 11 secondary schools (2 rated Outstanding, 5 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is Reading?

Reading scores 5 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in Reading sits around rank 16,376 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

What is the average household income in Reading?

The average household income in Reading is around £62,260 per year, and 15% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

Who are the MPs for Reading?

Reading spans 3 parliamentary constituencies, represented by Earley and Woodley: Yuan Yang (Labour Party), Reading Central: Matt Rodda (Labour Party) and Reading West and Mid Berkshire: Olivia Bailey (Labour Party).

RG1 5AG

Crown Place

RG1 1DB

Friar Street

RG1 1AF

Valpy Street

RG1 3AD

Forbury Road

RG2 0FL

Biscuit Way

RG1 2AG

Bridge Street

RG2 0BF

Sentinel End

RG2 7BH

Northcourt Avenue

RG1 5JA

Elmhurst Road

RG2 8AA

Corinne Close

RG2 0AA

Imperial Way

RG30 4EX

Cockney Hill

RG30 2ET

Burrcroft Road

RG30 1AH

Portman Road

RG1 8AA

Caversham Road

RG2 0AH

Cradock Road

RG2 7BP

Northcourt Avenue

RG2 7AZ

Christchurch Road

RG2 7HD

Northcourt Avenue

RG2 7ET

Sherfield Drive

RG2 0GA

Commercial Road

RG2 0FW

Gweal Avenue

RG1 3HA

Kingsgate Street

RG30 6AQ

Deacon Way

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.