Reading: local statistics
Reading is a unitary authority in the South East, home to an estimated 183,762 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Reading, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
The claimant count for Reading stood at 5,360 in August 2026, or 4.3% of residents aged 16 to 64; the rate for the South East was 3.1%. The rate was the same a year earlier. Over the last five years it peaked at 4.9% in August 2021 and was lowest at 3.4% in January 2023.
A Band D home in Reading pays an average of £2,612.77 in council tax in 2026-27, up £125.66 on 2025-26. That makes it the 8th highest of 64 in the South East. Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,647.82.
The police recorded 97.5 crimes per 1,000 residents in Reading in the year to March 2026 (17,915 offences in all), the 8th highest rate of 55 in the South East. The rate was 95.3 in the year to March 2025. Across the 11 years shown it ranged from 80.5 to 109.4 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
In 2022 to 2024, women in Reading had a life expectancy at birth of 83.3 years; for men it was 79.4, compared with 83.3 and 79.5 years across England. Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.3 years for women and +0.9 for men. It is the 51st highest for women of 64 in the South East.
A typical home in Reading cost £349,550 in July 2026, on the UK House Price Index, down 1.2% on a year before. It ranks as the 39th highest of 64 in the South East; the average for the South East was £380,878. Since July 2016 prices have risen 12%; the July high in the series was £353,930 in 2025. Dividing the average price by the median annual pay of full-time employees living in Reading (£40,700) gives a ratio of 8.6. That ratio is the 43rd highest ratio of all 64 council areas in the South East.
In March 2026, 8,230 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses were based in Reading, 3% fewer than in 2016. That is 45 for every 1,000 residents, 41st of 64 in the South East, counting from the highest.
The Annual Population Survey estimates that 81.2% of Reading residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026 (give or take 3.9 points); the figure for the South East was 78.9%. Its lowest reading in the series was 74.8% and its highest 87.6%.
Full-time employees living in Reading earned a median £804.90 a week in April 2025, or £40,700 over a year. It is close to the middle of all 64 council areas in the South East (36th highest), and 1.3% less than across the South East. Jobs based in Reading paid a median £954.40 a week, £149.50 more than the figure for people who live there. In 2015 the residents' median was £565.80, so it has risen 42% before inflation.
Reading had an estimated 183,762 residents in mid-2025, up 0.5% on mid-2024. That is 14,542 more people than in mid-2015, a rise of 8.6% (the South East: +8.1%). That is mid-table in the South East, 30th of 64. The mid-2025 estimate is the highest in the series.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 169,220 |
| 2016 | 171,750 |
| 2017 | 173,047 |
| 2018 | 174,484 |
| 2019 | 174,288 |
| 2020 | 173,879 |
| 2021 | 173,371 |
| 2022 | 176,479 |
| 2023 | 180,350 |
| 2024 | 182,809 |
| 2025 | 183,762 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £312,893 |
| July 2017 | £319,627 |
| July 2018 | £312,809 |
| July 2019 | £301,343 |
| July 2020 | £294,133 |
| July 2021 | £311,057 |
| July 2022 | £350,731 |
| July 2023 | £342,403 |
| July 2024 | £353,636 |
| July 2025 | £353,930 |
| July 2026 | £349,550 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £565.80 a week |
| 2016 | £560.80 a week |
| 2017 | £604.80 a week |
| 2018 | £613.00 a week |
| 2019 | £610.80 a week |
| 2020 | £635.80 a week |
| 2021 | £658.20 a week |
| 2022 | £697.20 a week |
| 2023 | £725.10 a week |
| 2024 | £782.40 a week |
| 2025 | £804.90 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,647.82 |
| 2017-18 | £1,723.33 |
| 2018-19 | £1,826.63 |
| 2019-20 | £1,899.79 |
| 2020-21 | £1,976.04 |
| 2021-22 | £2,076.83 |
| 2022-23 | £2,144.95 |
| 2023-24 | £2,256.25 |
| 2024-25 | £2,367.47 |
| 2025-26 | £2,487.11 |
| 2026-27 | £2,612.77 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 80.5 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 85.4 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 90.6 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 93.4 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 95.5 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 86.1 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 104.0 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 109.4 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 98.9 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 95.3 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 97.5 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 74.8% |
| 2016/17 | 76.1% |
| 2017/18 | 78.2% |
| 2018/19 | 76.8% |
| 2019/20 | 80.7% |
| 2020/21 | 81.5% |
| 2021/22 | 79.0% |
| 2022/23 | 82.1% |
| 2023/24 | 87.6% |
| 2024/25 | 83.0% |
| 2025/26 | 81.2% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 83.0 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 83.3 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 83.3 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 83.4 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 83.4 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 83.3 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 82.7 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 82.5 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 82.7 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 83.2 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 83.3 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 8,505 |
| 2017 | 8,805 |
| 2018 | 8,655 |
| 2019 | 8,770 |
| 2020 | 8,755 |
| 2021 | 8,525 |
| 2022 | 8,375 |
| 2023 | 8,095 |
| 2024 | 8,145 |
| 2025 | 8,195 |
| 2026 | 8,230 |
Questions about Reading
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Reading?
5,360 in August 2026 (4.3% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
How much is Band D council tax in Reading?
£2,612.77 on average for 2026-27, including police, fire and parish precepts (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).
What is the crime rate in Reading?
97.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in the year to March 2026, excluding fraud (Home Office).
What is life expectancy in Reading?
83.3 years for women and 79.4 for men (2022 to 2024, ONS).
What is the average house price in Reading?
£349,550 in July 2026, on HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index (-1.2% on a year).
What is the average salary in Reading?
£804.90 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
What is the population of Reading?
183,762 in mid-2025, the latest ONS mid-year estimate.
Who has power over Reading
Every body that makes decisions for Reading, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Reading council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Reading in official figures this page
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Earley and Woodley: Yuan Yang (Labour) MP
- Reading Central: Matt Rodda (Labour) MP
- Reading West and Mid Berkshire: Olivia Bailey (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: the South East
- UK figures: UK unemployment rate · Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · Life expectancy at birth (UK)
- Other council areas in the South East: Arun · Basingstoke and Deane · Cherwell · Maidstone · New Forest · Wokingham
Related questions
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- How much has council tax gone up this year?
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- How healthy is my area?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.