Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Brighton and Hove and Reading compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Brighton and Hove
E06000043 · Sussex Police
Reading
E06000038 · Thames Valley Police
Getting better or worse
+1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
6 more in Brighton and Hove
−5
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
284,170
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
100,408 more in Brighton and Hove
183,762
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£39,347
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,353 more in Reading
£40,700
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£407,803
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£46,560 more in Brighton and Hove
£361,243
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,809
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£236 more in Brighton and Hove
£1,573
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.2%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.1 percentage points higher in Reading
4.3%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
−159
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
2,144 more in Reading
+1,985
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,581
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£32 more in Reading
£2,613
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
20.3
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
1.7 more in Brighton and Hove
18.6
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
21.3%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.2 percentage points higher in Brighton and Hove
21.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
122.5
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
11.3 more in Brighton and Hove
111.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
10.4 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.5 years more in Brighton and Hove
8.9 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
55.2%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
8.8 percentage points higher in Brighton and Hove
46.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.56%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.14 percentage points higher in Brighton and Hove
6.42%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
10,370
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,246 more in Reading
11,617
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,012
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
370 more in Reading
3,382
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 284,170 in Brighton and Hove and 183,762 in Reading (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,347 in Brighton and Hove and £40,700 in Reading (2025); and average house price was £407,803 in Brighton and Hove and £361,243 in Reading (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 284,170 in Brighton and Hove and 183,762 in Reading (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,347 in Brighton and Hove and £40,700 in Reading (2025); and average house price was £407,803 in Brighton and Hove and £361,243 in Reading (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Brighton and Hove per 1,000 | offences | Reading per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 122.5 | 34,798 | 111.2 | 20,436 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.4 | 399 | 2.4 | 432 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.8 | 801 | 3.6 | 657 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7.3 | 2,079 | 6.6 | 1,216 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 5.0 | 1,412 | 3.0 | 546 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.4 | 672 | 2.0 | 361 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 8.5 | 2,405 | 9.0 | 1,653 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.4 | 398 | 0.8 | 138 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 10.7 | 3,034 | 8.5 | 1,569 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.7 | 476 | 1.9 | 348 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 16.6 | 4,708 | 16.7 | 3,074 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 1.5 | 424 | 1.4 | 264 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 3.0 | 862 | 4.9 | 896 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 35.9 | 10,192 | 39.7 | 7,291 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (284,170 and 183,762 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.