As Reading's population swells and transforms into one of the UK's youngest, most diverse, and highly skilled hubs, the 2021 Census reveals a dynamic town being reshaped by significant growth, an international workforce, and a powerhouse economy.
Key Takeaways
- Reading's population in the 2021 Census was 161,263 residents, marking a 10.6% increase from 2011
- 51.6% of Reading's population identified as White in the 2021 Census, down from 65.7% in 2011
- 24.9% of Reading residents were born outside the UK according to the 2021 Census, higher than the England average of 16.8%
- The median gross annual income for full-time workers in Reading was £38,500 in 2022
- Reading's employment rate for ages 16-64 was 75.8% in 2022, above the UK average of 74.6%
- 12.3% of Reading's workforce was in financial and insurance activities in 2021
- 72% of Reading pupils achieved grade 4+ in English and Maths GCSEs in 2022
- Reading has 15 state-funded secondary schools with 12,450 pupils in 2023
- 92.1% of Reading pupils achieved expected standards in reading at KS2 in 2019
- Average Reading house price was £350,000 in 2021, up 8% from 2020
- 62% of Reading dwellings are flats/maisonettes per 2021 Census
- Council tax band D in Reading Borough was £2,013.72 for 2023/24
- Reading's railway station saw 12.5 million passenger entries/exits in 2019/20
- M4 motorway average daily traffic at Reading junction 11: 120,000 vehicles in 2022
- 65% of Reading commuters travel by train to work per 2021 Census
Reading is a growing, young, and increasingly diverse city with a strong economy.
Economy and Employment
- The median gross annual income for full-time workers in Reading was £38,500 in 2022
- Reading's employment rate for ages 16-64 was 75.8% in 2022, above the UK average of 74.6%
- 12.3% of Reading's workforce was in financial and insurance activities in 2021
- Average house price in Reading was £387,000 in 2023, up 4.2% from 2022
- Reading's GVA per hour worked was £42.60 in 2021, 18% above UK average
- 8.7% unemployment rate among 16-24 year olds in Reading in 2022
- 22.1% of Reading jobs were in professional, scientific, technical sectors in 2021
- Reading's business density was 1,850 enterprises per 10,000 population in 2022
- 15.4% of Reading's employed residents worked from home in 2021
- The ICT sector employed 14,200 people in Reading in 2022
- Reading's claimant count was 3.2% in March 2023
- 9.8% of Reading's workforce was self-employed in 2021
- Finance sector contributed £2.1 billion to Reading's economy in 2021
- 28.5% of Reading residents aged 16-64 were in high-level occupations (managers, professionals) in 2021
- Reading had 1,200 new business starts in 2022
- Retail sector in Reading generated £1.8 billion turnover in 2022
- 6.4% economic inactivity due to long-term sickness in Reading 2021
- Reading's productivity growth was 1.2% annually 2017-2021
- 17.6% of jobs in Reading were part-time in 2021
- Life sciences sector employed 3,500 in Thames Valley including Reading in 2022
- Median hourly pay in Reading was £15.80 for full-time workers in 2022
- 4.1% of Reading enterprises were high-tech in 2022
- Tourism supported 2,800 jobs in Reading in 2019 pre-COVID
- 11.2% growth in Reading's digital economy jobs 2018-2022
- Reading's office vacancy rate was 7.5% in 2023
- 25.3% of Reading's GDP from professional services in 2021
- Youth unemployment (18-24) in Reading was 9.5% in 2022
Economy and Employment Interpretation
Reading presents itself as a booming, high-skilled economic powerhouse, yet its glittering statistics on productivity and finance are tempered by a sobering reality check of unaffordable homes, a stubborn youth unemployment problem, and a notable share of its workforce too sick to work.
Education and Skills
- 72% of Reading pupils achieved grade 4+ in English and Maths GCSEs in 2022
- Reading has 15 state-funded secondary schools with 12,450 pupils in 2023
- 92.1% of Reading pupils achieved expected standards in reading at KS2 in 2019
- University of Reading had 17,000 students in 2022/23
- 45.6% of Reading adults hold NVQ4+ qualifications in 2021, above England 38.2%
- 1 in 5 Reading children eligible for free school meals in 2022
- Reading College has 5,200 further education students annually
- 85.3% attendance rate in Reading primary schools in 2022/23
- 28% of Reading's working-age population has no qualifications in 2021
- 6.2% of Reading pupils had special educational needs without statement/EHC in 2022
- Apprenticeships in Reading totalled 1,800 starts in 2021/22
- 91% of Year 6 pupils in Reading met expected phonics standard in 2022
- 14 nursery schools in Reading serve 1,200 children under 5
- 37.4% progression to higher education from Reading schools in 2021
- Reading's adult learning participation rate is 12.5% in community learning
- 82.6% of Reading KS4 pupils entered EBacc in 2022
- 3,500 international students at University of Reading in 2023
- Early years funding rate in Reading is £5.25 per hour for 3-4 year olds in 2023/24
- 68% of Reading adults engaged in lifelong learning in past 3 years per 2021 survey
- Pupil-teacher ratio in Reading secondary schools was 16.8:1 in 2022
- 75.2% of disadvantaged pupils in Reading achieved positive KS4 destination in 2021
- 22 independent schools in Reading with 4,100 pupils in 2023
- Functional skills level 2 passes in Reading: 1,200 in English/maths 2021/22
- 94.2% literacy rate among Reading working-age adults in 2021
- 8.1% NEET rate for 16-18 year olds in Reading 2022
- 1,100 higher education qualifications awarded at FE level in Reading 2021/22
Education and Skills Interpretation
Reading presents a classic case of educational duality: impressive headline results mask deep inequalities, yet pockets of excellence persist across the city like stubborn, defiant weeds pushing through the cracks.
Housing and Property
- Average Reading house price was £350,000 in 2021, up 8% from 2020
- 62% of Reading dwellings are flats/maisonettes per 2021 Census
- Council tax band D in Reading Borough was £2,013.72 for 2023/24
- 18,500 households on Reading's housing register in 2023
- Home ownership rate in Reading was 52.3% in 2021
- Private rental sector comprises 33% of Reading housing stock in 2021
- 1,200 affordable homes built in Reading 2018-2023
- Overcrowding affected 4.5% of Reading households in 2021
- Energy Performance Certificate average rating in Reading is C for dwellings
- 7,200 social rented homes in Reading (12% of stock) in 2021
- New build homes in Reading: 850 completions in 2022
- Homelessness acceptances in Reading: 450 households in 2022/23
- Average private rent for 2-bed in Reading: £1,350 pcm in 2023
- 25% of Reading homes built pre-1919
- Right to Buy sales in Reading: 120 properties in 2022
- Fuel poverty rate in Reading: 12.4% of households in 2022
- 2,300 void social housing properties repaired in Reading 2022/23
- Section 21 no-fault evictions: 180 in Reading courts 2022
- 68% of Reading households have central heating in 2021
- Housing waiting list decreased by 10% in Reading 2022-2023
- Average time to re-let social homes in Reading: 25 days in 2023
- 15% increase in Reading house prices Q1 2023 vs 2022
- 1,100 temporary accommodation households in Reading 2023
- 42% of Reading homes are leasehold
- Disabled-adapted homes: 8% of Reading stock in 2021
Housing and Property Interpretation
Reading paints a stark portrait of a town straining under its own success: while house prices soar and regeneration ticks along, a chasm widens between those comfortably buying flats and a massive, anxious queue of thousands waiting for affordable shelter, paying high rents in often inefficient homes, all under the shadow of potential no-fault eviction.
Population and Demographics
- Reading's population in the 2021 Census was 161,263 residents, marking a 10.6% increase from 2011
- 51.6% of Reading's population identified as White in the 2021 Census, down from 65.7% in 2011
- 24.9% of Reading residents were born outside the UK according to the 2021 Census, higher than the England average of 16.8%
- The median age in Reading was 34 years in 2021, compared to 40 for England overall
- 16.3% of Reading's population aged 16+ had no qualifications in 2021, below the national average of 18.1%
- Reading had 68,900 households in 2021, with an average household size of 2.3 people
- 8.4% of Reading residents aged 16-74 were unemployed in 2021, slightly above England's 7.9% rate
- Females made up 49.2% of Reading's population in 2021, with males at 50.8%
- 12.5% of Reading's population was aged 65+ in 2021, lower than England's 18.4%
- 32.1% of households in Reading were single-person households in 2021
- Reading's population density was 4,923 people per square kilometre in 2021
- 6.8% of Reading residents had a limiting long-term illness in 2021
- 28.4% of Reading's population spoke a main language other than English in 2021
- The proportion of Reading residents identifying as Asian was 25.6% in 2021
- 4.2% of Reading's population was Black or Black British in 2021 Census data
- Reading's economically active population aged 16-74 was 77.2% in 2021
- 15.7% of Reading residents aged 16+ held a higher education qualification (Level 4+) in 2011, updated estimates suggest growth
- 22.3% of Reading's children aged 0-15 lived in lone-parent households in 2021
- Reading had 2,100 centenarians or more projected by 2030 based on ONS trends
- 9.1% of Reading population was of mixed ethnicity in 2021
- 3.4% of Reading residents were students in 2021 Census
- Reading's working-age population (16-64) comprised 69.8% in 2021
- 7.2% of Reading households had dependent children in 2021
- The number of Polish speakers in Reading increased by 45% from 2011 to 2021
- 11.3% of Reading's population had bad or very bad health in 2021
- Reading's population growth rate was 1.0% annually from 2011-2021
- 18.7% of Reading residents were married in 2021
- 5.6% of Reading's population provided 50+ hours unpaid care weekly in 2021
- Reading had 1,450 rough sleepers counted in 2022 Thames Valley snapshot
- 26.4% of Reading's population aged 3+ had English as additional language in 2021
Population and Demographics Interpretation
Reading is a young, fast-growing, and increasingly diverse university town where a dynamic economy and highly qualified populace coexist with significant pockets of deprivation, housing pressure, and social need.
Transport and Infrastructure
- Reading's railway station saw 12.5 million passenger entries/exits in 2019/20
- M4 motorway average daily traffic at Reading junction 11: 120,000 vehicles in 2022
- 65% of Reading commuters travel by train to work per 2021 Census
- Reading Buses carried 18 million passengers in 2022/23
- Cycle lanes total 50km in Reading Borough in 2023
- 22% of Reading work trips by public transport in 2021
- Heathrow Airport accessible within 45 mins for 70% of Reading population
- 1,200 electric vehicle charge points in Reading 2023
- Average commute time from Reading: 28 minutes in 2021 Census
- Thames Valley Buses network covers 95% of Reading households
- Road casualties in Reading: 450 in 2022, down 15% from 2021
- 15% modal share for cycling/walking in Reading city centre trips
- Elizabeth Line added 4 million annual passengers to Reading services post-2022
- 320km of footpaths in Reading's rights of way network
- Congestion charge avoided but A329 traffic averages 45,000 vehicles/day
- 85 new bus shelters installed in Reading 2022-2023
- Park & Ride usage: 500,000 passengers annually at Reading sites
- 7% growth in rail freight through Reading 2021-2022
- 28 EV car club bays in Reading via Co-wheels 2023
- 12.3 million bike hire trips possible via Lime in Reading since 2021 launch
- Flood resilience schemes protect 5,000 Reading properties along Thames
- 92% bus punctuality rate in Reading off-peak 2023
- A33 relief road carries 60,000 vehicles daily
- 1,800 wheelchair-accessible taxis licensed in Reading 2023
- Digital traffic signals reduce delays by 20% at 50 Reading junctions
Transport and Infrastructure Interpretation
Reading’s transport story is a bustling paradox of impressive trains and stubborn cars, where the future is arriving by rail and bike, but the present is still stuck in traffic.
Sources & References
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