Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Reading and West Berkshire 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.
Reading
E06000038 · Thames Valley Police
West Berkshire
E06000037 · Thames Valley Police
Getting better or worse
−5
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
4 more in West Berkshire
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
183,762
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
18,239 more in Reading
165,523
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£40,700
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£4,187 more in West Berkshire
£44,887
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£361,243
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£41,547 more in West Berkshire
£402,790
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,573
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£259 more in Reading
£1,314
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.3%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
1.9 percentage points higher in Reading
2.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+1,985
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
1,902 more in Reading
+83
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,613
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£107 more in Reading
£2,505
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
18.6
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
7.5 more in Reading
11.0
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
21.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
7.8 percentage points higher in Reading
13.3%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
111.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
46.2 more in Reading
65.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.9 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.1 years more in West Berkshire
9.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
46.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
11.3 percentage points higher in Reading
35.1%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.42%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.84 percentage points higher in Reading
5.58%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
11,617
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
523 more in West Berkshire
12,140
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,382
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
898 more in West Berkshire
4,280
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 183,762 in Reading and 165,523 in West Berkshire (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £40,700 in Reading and £44,887 in West Berkshire (2025); and average house price was £361,243 in Reading and £402,790 in West Berkshire (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 183,762 in Reading and 165,523 in West Berkshire (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £40,700 in Reading and £44,887 in West Berkshire (2025); and average house price was £361,243 in Reading and £402,790 in West Berkshire (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 | Reading per 1,000 | offences | West Berkshire per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 111.2 | 20,436 | 65.0 | 10,752 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 2.4 | 432 | 0.6 | 104 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.6 | 657 | 2.5 | 413 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.6 | 1,216 | 5.5 | 907 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.0 | 546 | 2.0 | 325 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.0 | 361 | 1.9 | 311 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 9.0 | 1,653 | 4.1 | 684 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.8 | 138 | 0.3 | 53 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 8.5 | 1,569 | 4.9 | 804 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.9 | 348 | 0.5 | 90 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 16.7 | 3,074 | 6.7 | 1,117 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 1.4 | 264 | 0.2 | 32 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 4.9 | 896 | 2.7 | 451 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 39.7 | 7,291 | 24.3 | 4,022 | 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 (183,762 and 165,523 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.