Reading, MA vs Burlington, MA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricReading, MABurlington, MA
Population25,61226,274
Median Household Income$165,912$146,436
Median Rent$1,991/mo$2,718/mo
Median Home Value$809,000$740,600
Cost of Living (US = 100)108108
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income27.6%47.7%
Poverty Rate3.2%5.9%
Unemployment Rate4.1% (county)4.1% (county)
Violent Crime Rate /100k31184
Property Crime Rate /100k5331,513
Median AQI3838
Good AQI Days /yr299299
Summer Highs81°F81°F
Winter Lows21°F21°F
Snowfall64 in/yr64 in/yr
Avg Commute30.9 min27.5 min
Hospitals—1
Avg Hospital Rating—4.0 / 5
Students per Teacher13.110.8
College Degree Rate66.3%58.4%
Foreign-Born %9.5%17.9%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+1.3%-5.2%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.