Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Bristol, City of 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.
Bristol, City of
E06000023 · Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Reading
E06000038 · Thames Valley Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Bristol, City of
−5
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
495,260
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
311,498 more in Bristol, City of
183,762
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£39,509
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£1,191 more in Reading
£40,700
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£356,824
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£4,419 more in Reading
£361,243
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,880
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£307 more in Bristol, City of
£1,573
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
3.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.7 percentage points higher in Reading
4.3%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+3,335
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,350 more in Bristol, City of
+1,985
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,714
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£101 more in Bristol, City of
£2,613
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
22.5
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.9 more in Bristol, City of
18.6
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
21.8%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
0.7 percentage points higher in Bristol, City of
21.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
147.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
36.1 more in Bristol, City of
111.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
9.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.1 years more in Bristol, City of
8.9 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
57.1%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
10.7 percentage points higher in Bristol, City of
46.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.87%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.45 percentage points higher in Bristol, City of
6.42%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
9,985
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,632 more in Reading
11,617
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,090
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
292 more in Reading
3,382
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 495,260 in Bristol, City of and 183,762 in Reading (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,509 in Bristol, City of and £40,700 in Reading (2025); and average house price was £356,824 in Bristol, City of 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 495,260 in Bristol, City of and 183,762 in Reading (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £39,509 in Bristol, City of and £40,700 in Reading (2025); and average house price was £356,824 in Bristol, City of 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 | Bristol, City of per 1,000 | offences | Reading per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 147.3 | 72,937 | 111.2 | 20,436 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.9 | 943 | 2.4 | 432 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 5.8 | 2,871 | 3.6 | 657 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 10.3 | 5,082 | 6.6 | 1,216 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.1 | 1,538 | 3.0 | 546 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.2 | 1,078 | 2.0 | 361 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 11.2 | 5,561 | 9.0 | 1,653 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.9 | 429 | 0.8 | 138 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 13.8 | 6,810 | 8.5 | 1,569 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 2.9 | 1,446 | 1.9 | 348 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 12.5 | 6,188 | 16.7 | 3,074 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.8 | 400 | 1.4 | 264 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 8.5 | 4,194 | 4.9 | 896 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 51.2 | 25,353 | 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 (495,260 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.