Population 97 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Reader
Household size in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.97 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 1.99 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.45 | 2.55 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.22 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.25 | −0.00 | −0.03 |
Reader is a place of big households: 3.22 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.97, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 35.2 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 53.7 | 38.7 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 45.4 | 39.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 56.0 | 39.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +20.8 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
Reader skews older: half of its residents are older than 56.0, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 2.0% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 13.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.2% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | +4.2 pts | −0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 7.2% of households in Reader, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Reader
Renters in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.1% | 32.3% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 23.2% | 33.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 17.9% | 34.4% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 31.8% | 33.6% | 34.8% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | +1.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Reader is about as common as it is nationally: 31.8% of households rent, against 34.8%. Among homeowners, 63.2% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.9% | 13.4% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 36.7% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 29.8% | 14.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 36.9% | 13.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −8.0 pts | −0.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Reader: 36.9% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1961 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1970 | 1983 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1972 | 1985 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1988 | 1988 | 1980 |
| Change | +27 | +6 | +6 |
Reader has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1988, versus 1980 nationally. Arkansas as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $619 | $660 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $565 | $718 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $386 | $785 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $663 | $1,007 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$44 | +$346 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Reader costs $663 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 36.0% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Reader
Bachelor's degrees in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.0% | 20.6% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 9.8% | 21.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 13.6% | 23.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.4% | 26.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +2.4 pts | +5.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Reader: 6.4% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 70.2% | 82.6% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 73.7% | 84.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 88.1% | 86.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 68.7% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | −1.6 pts | +6.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over three in ten adults in Reader never finished high school, well above the national share: only 68.7% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Reader
| Period | Reader | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.0% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 16.9% | 8.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.5% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −10.9 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.1%, unemployment in Reader is close to the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Reader compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reader | 3.22 | 56.0 | 7.2% | 31.8% | 36.9% | 1988 | $663 | 6.4% | 68.7% | 5.1% |
| Bluff City | 3.26 | 55.5 | 7.2% | 31.3% | 37.7% | 1989 | $683 | 5.4% | 68.8% | 5.5% |
| Sayre | 2.09 | 56.5 | 7.9% | 17.7% | 27.5% | 1979 | $608 | 27.9% | 91.1% | 4.5% |
| Whelen Springs | 1.96 | 52.8 | 2.8% | 31.3% | 19.9% | 1988 | $806 | 23.5% | 90.3% | 2.1% |
| Good Hope | 1.90 | 57.5 | 6.8% | 15.2% | 16.0% | 1979 | $667 | 21.4% | 86.3% | 6.2% |
| Chidester | 2.05 | 57.4 | 7.4% | 18.5% | 25.3% | 1979 | $610 | 27.9% | 89.9% | 5.3% |
| Sycamore | 2.38 | 53.8 | 3.5% | 34.4% | 25.6% | 1988 | $772 | 18.6% | 83.1% | 2.9% |
| Redland | 3.08 | 48.6 | 3.3% | 18.0% | 24.9% | 1985 | $821 | 12.6% | 82.3% | 1.5% |
| Cale | 2.38 | 50.0 | 5.8% | 10.9% | 22.6% | 1986 | $882 | 10.5% | 90.5% | 9.7% |
| Red Springs | 2.08 | 50.2 | 10.2% | 6.9% | 20.7% | 1983 | $733 | 14.6% | 90.0% | 2.6% |
| Boughton | 2.87 | 44.3 | 2.1% | 11.0% | 17.5% | 1984 | $951 | 15.5% | 86.4% | 1.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Blansett, AR · Bristol, CO · Bolivar, MS · Boden, OH · Bluff Point, IN · Blue Springs, AL · Blue Ball, AR · Blountsville, IN · Bloomington, NC · Water Street, PA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Reader. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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