Population

Reading

94,836

New Bedford

100,731

Median Income

Reading

$45,599

New Bedford

$56,025

Home Value

Reading

$109,800

New Bedford

$324,400

Rent

Reading

$1,018

New Bedford

$1,085

Crime Rate

Reading

3.38

New Bedford

3.53

Cost of Living

Reading

83.5

New Bedford

110.1

Avg Temp

Reading

N/A

New Bedford

N/A

Unemployment

Reading

12.1%

New Bedford

7.6%

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How Similar Are Reading & New Bedford?

New Bedford is Reading's #15 most similar city

3/10

3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Reading

94,836

vs

New Bedford

100,731

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Reading at 94,836 and New Bedford at 100,731.

Violent Crime

Reading

3.38

vs

New Bedford

3.53

Match · 4% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Reading

14.35

vs

New Bedford

13.59

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.

Political Leaning

Reading

55.6%

vs

New Bedford

48.5%

Different · 13% difference
🗳️

Reading leans Republican while New Bedford leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Reading

12.1%

vs

New Bedford

7.6%

Different · 37% difference

Reading has a 37% higher unemployment than New Bedford.

Median Income

Reading

$45,599

vs

New Bedford

$56,025

Different · 19% difference
💰

New Bedford has a 19% higher median income than Reading.

Home Values

🏠

Reading

$109,800

vs

New Bedford

$324,400

Different · 66% difference

New Bedford's home values is significantly higher than Reading's — 66% difference.

Education

Reading

7.0%

vs

New Bedford

11.3%

Different · 39% difference
🎓

New Bedford has a 39% higher education than Reading.

Demographics

🌍

Reading

30.1%

vs

New Bedford

57.5%

Different · 48% difference

New Bedford has a 48% higher demographics than Reading.

Cost of Living

Reading

83.5

vs

New Bedford

110.1

Different · 24% difference
💵

New Bedford has a 24% higher cost of living than Reading.

3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Reading and New Bedford differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Reading

vsof 8

0

New Bedford

New Bedford leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Reading leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Reading scores 91.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 144.5 in New Bedford. Reading scores 83.5 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 110.1 in New Bedford. Reading has a living wage (family of 4) of $86,859 vs $114,470 in New Bedford (24% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Reading83.5
New Bedford110.1

Housing Index

Reading91.9
New Bedford144.5

Food Index

Reading84.9
New Bedford92.8

Transportation Index

Reading69.7
New Bedford85.6

Healthcare Index

Reading87.9
New Bedford94.3

Utilities Index

Reading89.3
New Bedford104.6

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Reading$36,748
New Bedford$48,429

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Reading$86,859
New Bedford$114,470

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Reading$1,237
New Bedford$1,230

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Reading$1,575
New Bedford$1,527

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a single-family homes of 64.5% compared to 32.1% in New Bedford. New Bedford has a vacancy rate of 5.0% compared to 9.3% in Reading. New Bedford has a median home value of $324,400 vs $109,800 in Reading (66% higher).

Median Home Value

Reading$109,800
New Bedford$324,400

Median Rent

Reading$1,018
New Bedford$1,085

Median Property Tax

Reading$1,820
New Bedford$4,223

Owner-Occupied

Reading39.7%
New Bedford40.0%

Vacancy Rate

Reading9.3%
New Bedford5.0%

Single-Family Homes

Reading64.5%
New Bedford32.1%

Jobs & Economy — New Bedford leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

New Bedford has a unemployment rate of 7.6% compared to 12.1% in Reading. New Bedford has a poverty rate of 19.9% compared to 27.0% in Reading. New Bedford has a per capita income of $30,475 vs $21,394 in Reading (30% higher).

Median Household Income

Reading$45,599
New Bedford$56,025

Per Capita Income

Reading$21,394
New Bedford$30,475

Poverty Rate

Reading27.0%
New Bedford19.9%

Unemployment Rate

Reading12.1%
New Bedford7.6%

Labor Force

Reading43,869
New Bedford49,178

Mean Commute

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Work from Home

Reading5.0%
New Bedford4.7%

Private Sector

Reading98.8%
New Bedford92.9%

Government Sector

Reading48.5%
New Bedford44.5%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Reading has a property crime clearance of 10.8% compared to 3.9% in New Bedford. Reading has a violent crime clearance of 46.8% compared to 26.2% in New Bedford. New Bedford has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.78 compared to 1.00 in Reading.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Reading3.38
New Bedford3.53

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Reading14.35
New Bedford13.59

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Reading0.07
New Bedford0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Reading1.00
New Bedford0.78

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Reading1.95
New Bedford2.24

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Reading2.33
New Bedford1.84

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Reading9.74
New Bedford9.31

Violent Crime Clearance

Reading46.8%
New Bedford26.2%

Property Crime Clearance

Reading10.8%
New Bedford3.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Avg Annual High

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Avg Annual Low

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Annual Rainfall

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Annual Snowfall

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Avg Humidity

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Schools & Education — New Bedford leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

New Bedford has a bachelor's degree or higher of 11.3% compared to 7.0% in Reading. New Bedford has a high school diploma or higher of 34.5% compared to 30.0% in Reading.

Public Schools

Reading0
New Bedford0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Colleges & Universities

Reading0
New Bedford0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Reading7.0%
New Bedford11.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Reading30.0%
New Bedford34.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

New Bedford has a population of 100,731, about 1.1x the size of Reading (94,836). Reading skews younger with a median age of 31.7 vs 37.0.

Population

Reading94,836
New Bedford100,731

Median Age

Reading32
New Bedford37

Avg Household Size

Reading2.8
New Bedford2.3

Married Population

Reading24.4%
New Bedford31.2%

Foreign Born

Reading21.5%
New Bedford20.7%

White

Reading30.1%
New Bedford57.5%

Black

Reading10.0%
New Bedford6.0%

Hispanic

Reading68.6%
New Bedford24.5%

Asian

Reading1.0%
New Bedford1.5%

Reading

New Bedford

Healthcare — New Bedford leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

New Bedford: 3 vs Reading: 2 for with emergency services. New Bedford: 3.7 vs Reading: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Reading5
New Bedford5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Reading3.5
New Bedford3.7

With Emergency Services

Reading2
New Bedford3

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a public transit of 3.9% compared to 2.6% in New Bedford. New Bedford has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.1% in Reading. New Bedford has a drive alone of 72.8% compared to 63.7% in Reading.

Mean Commute Time

ReadingN/A
New BedfordN/A

Drive Alone

Reading63.7%
New Bedford72.8%

Public Transit

Reading3.9%
New Bedford2.6%

Bicycle

Reading0.1%
New Bedford0.1%

Work from Home

Reading5.0%
New Bedford4.7%

Airports

Reading0
New Bedford0

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Compare Reading against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

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City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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