# Tilehurst

West Reading. About 9,956 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 2.1 square kilometres.

Tilehurst had 9,867 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05013878. In: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east) › [Reading](https://openindex.co.uk/reading)

## Key figures

- **Population: 9,867** (2021). Tilehurst had 9,867 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 2,526th most populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 4%** (2022). About 4% of people in Tilehurst live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 98.7%** (January 2026). In Tilehurst, 98.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 3.5%** (August 2026). In Tilehurst, 3.5% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E05013878) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 4% of people in Tilehurst live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices?place=E05013878) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Reading. The outline is Tilehurst.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E05013878) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Tilehurst.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E05013878) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Tilehurst had 9,867 usual residents at the census.

## How Tilehurst compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Tilehurst | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 9,867 | 5th least populated | 16 wards, Reading · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 4% | 3rd fewest people in radon Affected Areas | 16 wards, Reading · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 98.7% | joint 7th highest | 16 wards, Reading · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 3.5% | 5th lowest | 16 wards, Reading · Aug 2026 |

## Is Tilehurst safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Tilehurst at a rate of 85.1 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 111.5 per 1,000 people across Reading.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 77 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Tilehurst.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were shoplifting (346), violence and sexual offences (239) and other crime (105).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of Reading

These figures are published for the whole of Reading, not for each ward, so they describe all of Reading and not Tilehurst alone. [See Reading](https://openindex.co.uk/reading)

- **Average house price: £350,501** (August 2026). Reading’s average house price was £350,501 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Down 0.4% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £40,700** (2025). Full-time workers living in Reading earned a median of £40,700 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 126th highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 8.6×** (2025). A home in Reading costs 8.6 times local full-time pay. Joint 101st least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 18.6** (2025). Reading has a deprivation score of 18.6 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 142nd least deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Tilehurst in brief

Tilehurst had 9,867 usual residents at the census.
About 4% of people in Tilehurst live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Tilehurst, 98.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Tilehurst, 3.5% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05013878
- Constituency: [Reading West and Mid Berkshire †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/reading-west-and-mid-berkshire)
- Council: [Reading](https://openindex.co.uk/reading)
- Region: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 2.10 km²
- People, mid-2024: 9,956*
- Neighbourhoods: 6
- Output areas: 30

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Norcot](https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/norcot), [Tilehurst Birch Copse](https://openindex.co.uk/west-berkshire/ward/tilehurst-birch-copse), [Kentwood](https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/kentwood), [Tilehurst & Purley](https://openindex.co.uk/west-berkshire/ward/tilehurst-and-purley), [Tilehurst South & Holybrook](https://openindex.co.uk/west-berkshire/ward/tilehurst-south-and-holybrook), [Southcote](https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/southcote)

## Latest updates for Tilehurst

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E05013878

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst#f-population.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/reading/ward/tilehurst