Reading
Reading is a city in Berkshire, England, with a population of around 318,014. It has around 1 school, 2 GP surgeries, 6 pharmacies, 1 supermarket, 24 parks & greens, and around 67 restaurants and cafés, with 56 bus stops and the nearest railway station being Reading, 2.7 km away. The average sold house price is around £480,275. There were around 889 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Reading area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Reading area is around the average in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 174,224 residents at roughly 4,313 people per km².
My Area Score
Mixed
Ranked 232nd of 294 English council areas — better than 21% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
18°CSunny
- Today: 19° / 10° · 7% rain
- Tomorrow: 20° / 10° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:27Sunset 19:34
13h 7m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
23US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: ozone
Source: WAQI · Reading New Town, United Kingdom
Crime
972 reported · July 2026▲ 14% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences293
- Shoplifting223
- Anti-social behaviour101
- Public order74
90 stop & searches · mostly controlled drugs
Neighbourhood team: Abbey and Battle · Thames Valley
Local policing priorities
- Drugs being dealt – areas of interest Battle Square, Kensington Road and Chester Street. This has lead to groups of drug users hanging ar…
- Retail shops in Reading Town Centre are targeted frequently by drug addicts who shoplift to support their habit.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
251 reported road collisions (2024)
31 killed or seriously injured · 277 casualties · 14.4 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
500+ food businesses within 2 miles
- 365 rated 4–5 ★ (271 top)
- 32 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency · split of the nearest 500
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Reading (0.3 km)
- 96 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Reading (0.3 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£361,243 average▲ 0.9% YoY
Across Reading · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,573 average monthly rent▲ 1.9% YoY
- 1 bed £1,115
- 2 bed £1,392
- 3 bed £1,670
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
7.1× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 7.1 times median annual pay (8.2× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 156.9p · BP (1.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 186.7p · Asda (4.6 km)
19 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
104 charging locations within ~8 km
- 29 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 360 kW
- Nearest: Novotel Reading Centre (0.1 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres8
- Gyms15
- Swimming pools3
- Sports pitches45
- Playgrounds27
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
174,224 residents in Reading · 4,313/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 69%
- 65+: 12%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 141 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
5% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,613 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (41% of 77,290)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
72 schools · 26,837 pupils
41 primary · 11 secondary · 20 other
Ofsted: 24 of 26 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (92%)
62inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Kendrick SchoolOutstanding
- Reading SchoolOutstanding
- King's Academy ProspectGood
- Reading Girls' SchoolGood
- The WREN SchoolRequires improvement
- Hartland High SchoolInadequate
- Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School
- Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre
- Maiden Erlegh School in Reading
- River Academy
- UTC Reading
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Reading
Care & health services
189 CQC-registered services
- Care homes32
- GP practices33
- Dentists34
- Homecare agencies61
- Hospitals & hospices8
CQC ratings: 86% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Reading
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 410 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
148 applications decided
87.8% granted · 130 granted, 18 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Matt Rodda
Labour
Reading Central
Recent votes:
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 143
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 142
- NoHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 140
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Labour majority
- Lab 29
- Con 5
- LD 3
- Grn 11
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools22
- GPs & clinics17
- Pharmacies11
- Supermarkets13
- Parks & greens37
- Restaurants & cafés261
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
8,195 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
6,334 jobs advertised · £46,077 avg
e.g. SEN Teacher, Roadside Technician Nights - Reading / Oxford, Market Research Field Interviewer Paid per Shift Car Required
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£805 median full-time weekly pay
4.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£25,812 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
48% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 89,722 certificates
10.4% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
60% low-carbon electricity
Solar 36% · Imports 29% · Wind 15% · Gas 11%
70 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.5 yrs women · 78.9 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 63 women · 61.7 men
63% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.4
- Feeling worthwhile7.8
- Happiness yesterday7.4
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.2
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
9 GP surgeries · 7 pharmacies in RG2
- Milman & Kennet Surgery
- Long Barn Lane Surgery
- University Medical Group
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Reading Central:
- Offer MenB vaccine to under 22s born before 2015548 local signatures · 3,696 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership441 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership341 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s320 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office185 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
- Statue of Queen Victoria, Reading · 0.1 km
The statue of Queen Victoria stands at the eastern end of Friar Street outside the Town Hall of Reading, Berkshire, in southern England.
Queen Victoria Street, Reading · 0.1 kmQueen Victoria Street is a pedestrianised thoroughfare in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. It connects Broad Street with Friar Street and Station Road.
Broad Street, Reading · 0.1 kmBroad Street is a main pedestrianised thoroughfare and the primary high street in the English town of Reading. The street is situated in the town centre, running for approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km), from west to ea…
Reading Town Hall · 0.1 kmReading Town Hall is the town hall of Reading, Berkshire, England. The town hall was built in several phases between 1786 and 1897, although the principal facade was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1875. Situated clo…
Corn Exchange, Reading · 0.1 kmThe Corn Exchange is a former commercial building in Reading, Berkshire, England. The structure, which was commissioned as a corn exchange, is a Grade II listed building.
Heelas of Reading · 0.1 kmHeelas is a major department store in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It was known as Heelas until 2001 and that name is still in common usage. The store fronts on to Reading's main pedestrianised shopping…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Reading with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Reading?
- Reading is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Reading local authority.
- What is the population of Reading?
- Reading has an approximate settlement population of 318,014.
- How deprived is Reading?
- The Reading local authority, which includes Reading, is around the average in England on the IoD2019.