diff --git a/benchmarks/csvIO.py b/benchmarks/csvIO.py
index 97839ea8d6..76ad3cc74b 100644
--- a/benchmarks/csvIO.py
+++ b/benchmarks/csvIO.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ def create_parser():
     parser.add_argument("hostname", help="Hostname of arkouda server")
     parser.add_argument("port", type=int, help="Port of arkouda server")
     parser.add_argument(
-        "-n", "--size", type=int, default=2*10**5, help="Problem size: length of array to read/write"
+        "-n", "--size", type=int, default=10**6, help="Problem size: length of array to read/write"
     )
     parser.add_argument(
         "-t", "--trials", type=int, default=1, help="Number of times to run the benchmark"
diff --git a/src/CSVMsg.chpl b/src/CSVMsg.chpl
index 10d766d252..433850da32 100644
--- a/src/CSVMsg.chpl
+++ b/src/CSVMsg.chpl
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ module CSVMsg {
 
         coforall loc in Locales do on loc {
             const localeFilename = filenames[loc.id];
-            
+
             // create the file to write to
             var csvFile = open(localeFilename, ioMode.cw);
             var writer = csvFile.writer(locking=false);
@@ -312,13 +312,13 @@ module CSVMsg {
         var hasHeader = false;
         var dtype_idx = 0;
         var column_name_idx = 0;
-        
+
         if lines[0] == CSV_HEADER_OPEN + "\n" {
             hasHeader = true;
             dtype_idx = 1;
             column_name_idx = 3;
         }
-        
+
         var columns = lines[column_name_idx].split(col_delim).strip();
         var file_dtypes: [0..#columns.size] string;
         if dtype_idx > 0 {
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ module CSVMsg {
                 throw getErrorWithContext(
                     msg="The dataset %s was not found in %s".doFormat(dset, filename),
                     lineNumber=getLineNumber(),
-                    routineName=getRoutineName(), 
+                    routineName=getRoutineName(),
                     moduleName=getModuleName(),
                     errorClass="DatasetNotFoundError");
             }
@@ -353,6 +353,112 @@ module CSVMsg {
         return (row_ct, hasHeader, new list(dtypes));
     }
 
+    proc read_csv_pattern(ref A: [] ?t, filename: string, filedom: domain(1), colName: string, colDelim: string, hasHeaders: bool, lineOffset: int, allowErrors: bool, ref hadError: bool) throws {
+        // We do a check to see if the filedome even intersects with
+        // A.localSubdomain before even opening the file
+        // The implementation assumes a single local subdomain so we make
+        // sure that is the case first
+        if !A.hasSingleLocalSubdomain() then
+            throw getErrorWithContext(
+                msg="The array A must have a single local subdomain on locale %i".doFormat(here.id),
+                lineNumber=getLineNumber(),
+                routineName=getRoutineName(),
+                moduleName=getModuleName(),
+                errorClass="InvalidArgumentError");
+        const intersection = domain_intersection(A.localSubdomain(), filedom);
+        if(intersection.size == 0) {
+            // There is nothing to be done for this file on this locale
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var fr = openReader(filename);
+        if(hasHeaders) {
+            var line:string;
+            // The first three lines are headers we don't care about
+            // Advance through them without reading them in
+            for param i in 0..<3 {
+                try {fr.advanceThrough(b'\n');}
+                catch {
+                    throw getErrorWithContext(
+                        msg="This CSV file is missing header values when headers were detected. This error should not arise.",
+                        lineNumber=getLineNumber(),
+                        routineName=getRoutineName(),
+                        moduleName=getModuleName(),
+                        errorClass="IOError");
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        var colIdx = -1;
+        // This next line will have the columns
+        for (column,i) in zip(fr.readLine(stripNewline = true).split(colDelim), 0..) {
+            if column == colName {
+                colIdx=i;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if(colIdx == -1) then
+            throw getErrorWithContext(
+                msg="The dataset %s was not found in %s".doFormat(colName, filename),
+                lineNumber=getLineNumber(),
+                routineName=getRoutineName(),
+                moduleName=getModuleName(),
+                errorClass="DatasetNotFoundError");
+
+        var line = new csvLine(t, colIdx, colDelim);
+        for x in intersection {
+            try {
+                fr.read(line);
+            } catch e: BadFormatError {
+                // Handle errors
+                if t!=string {
+                    if allowErrors {
+                        A[x] = min(t);
+                        continue;
+                    } else {
+                        hadError |= true;
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    A[x]="";
+                }
+            }
+            // store the items from the csvLine in the array
+            A[x] = line.item;
+        }
+    }
+
+    use Regex;
+    record csvLine: readDeserializable {
+
+        type itemType;
+        var item: itemType;
+        const colIdx: int;
+        const colDelim: string;
+        var r: regex(string);
+
+        proc init(type itemType, colIdx: int, colDelim: string) throws {
+            this.itemType = itemType;
+            this.colIdx = colIdx;
+            this.colDelim = colDelim;
+            init this;
+            if this.itemType == string then
+                this.r = new regex("[\n"+this.colDelim+"]");
+        }
+
+        proc ref deserialize(reader: fileReader(?), ref deserializer) throws {
+            // read the comma delimited items in a single line
+            for 0..<colIdx {
+                reader.advanceThrough(this.colDelim:bytes);  // Skip over the columns we don't care about
+            }
+            if itemType == string then
+                this.item = reader.readTo(this.r); // Throws BadFormatError if no "," or "\n"
+            else
+                var success = reader.read(this.item);
+            // stop reading once a '\n' is encountered
+            reader.advanceThrough(b'\n'); // Will throw BadFormatError if no newline
+        }
+    }
+
     proc read_files_into_dist_array(ref A: [?D] ?t, dset: string, filenames: [] string, filedomains: [] domain(1), skips: set(string), hasHeaders: bool, col_delim: string, offsets: [] int, allowErrors: bool) throws {
         var hadError = false;
         coforall loc in A.targetLocales() with (ref A, | reduce hadError) do on loc {
@@ -361,47 +467,13 @@ module CSVMsg {
             var locFiledoms = filedomains;
             /* On this locale, find all files containing data that belongs in
                 this locale's chunk of A */
-            for (filedom, filename, file_idx) in zip(locFiledoms, locFiles, 0..) {
+            forall (filedom, filename, file_idx) in zip(locFiledoms, locFiles, 0..) with (ref A, | reduce hadError) {
                 if (skips.contains(filename)) {
                     csvLogger.debug(getModuleName(),getRoutineName(),getLineNumber(),
                              "File %s does not contain data for this dataset, skipping".doFormat(filename));
                     continue;
                 } else {
-                    var lines = openReader(filename).lines().strip();
-                    var data_offset = 1;
-                    if hasHeaders {
-                        data_offset  = 4;
-                    }
-                    // determine the index of the column.
-                    var column_names = lines[data_offset-1].split(col_delim);
-                    var colidx: int;
-                    var colExists = column_names.find(dset, colidx);
-                    if !colExists{
-                        throw getErrorWithContext(
-                            msg="The dataset %s was not found in %s".doFormat(dset, filename),
-                            lineNumber=getLineNumber(),
-                            routineName=getRoutineName(), 
-                            moduleName=getModuleName(),
-                            errorClass="DatasetNotFoundError");
-                    }
-                    for locdom in A.localSubdomains() {
-                        const intersection = domain_intersection(locdom, filedom);
-                        if intersection.size > 0 {
-                            forall x in intersection with (| reduce hadError) {
-                                var row = lines[x-offsets[file_idx]+data_offset].split(col_delim);
-                                if t == string || row[colidx] != "" {
-                                    // only write into A[x] if the value is non-empty and the col dtype is not a string
-                                    A[x] = row[colidx]: t;
-                                }
-                                else if allowErrors {
-                                    A[x] = min(t);
-                                }
-                                else {
-                                    hadError |= true;
-                                }
-                            }
-                        }
-                    }
+                    read_csv_pattern(A, filename, filedom, dset, col_delim, hasHeaders, offsets[file_idx], allowErrors, hadError);
                 }
             }
         }