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COUNTY

Berkshire County

Massachusetts · 128,224 residents (2025 est.) · 927 sq mi
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The short version

With 129,430 people, Berkshire County is a county in Massachusetts. At a median age of 47.3, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Few US counties rank higher on income. Households here earn about 27% less than in Massachusetts as a whole. 6% of locals were born outside the United States. Getting to work takes 21 minutes on average.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 47.3
US median: 38.9
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 46%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
129,430
−4%since 2000
from 134,953 in 2000
128,224 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
140 / sq mi
−1%since 2009
from 140 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
47.3
+17%since 2000
from 40.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
927 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
125K129K133K137K141K19902000201020202024Berkshire County
2024129K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.8%(4,925)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.5%(5,818)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.4%(5,681)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(8,507)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.5%(8,412)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3410.5%(13,537)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.5%(14,887)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.4%(14,781)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.8%(20,465)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7414.3%(18,565)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.5%(9,757)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over3.2%(4,095)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$76,013
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,047 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$49,365
+126%since 2000
from $21,807 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
50.5%
+19.9 ptssince 2009
from 30.6% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2000
from 9.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.494
+7%since 2010
from 0.462 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$305,400
+46%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $115,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,097
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $499 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
69.9%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 66.9% in 2000
30.1% rent
Vacancy rate
17.7%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 19.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.14 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.24 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
24.7%
−5.3 ptssince 2009
from 30.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
49.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 45.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.0
−1%since 2009
from 4.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic94.1%(126,961)
Black1.9%(2,570)
Hispanic / Latino1.7%(2,286)
Asian1%(1,312)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic84.8%(109,712)
Black2.6%(3,310)
Hispanic / Latino5.9%(7,591)
Asian1.9%(2,458)
Other4.9%(6,359)
Diversity Score
34
+88%since 2009
from 18 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
35
+14%since 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican2.1%(2,744)
South American1.4%(1,758)
Central American0.9%(1,153)
Colombian0.8%(1,065)
Salvadoran0.6%(719)
Mexican0.4%(534)
Ecuadorian0.3%(346)
Guatemalan0.2%(280)
Peruvian0.2%(268)
Dominican0.2%(261)
Spaniard0.2%(214)
Cuban0.2%(210)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Honduran0.1%(109)
Chilean0%(47)
Argentine0%(10)
Asian origin
Chinese0.5%(639)
Asian Indian0.3%(417)
Nepalese0.3%(353)
Korean0.3%(324)
Vietnamese0.1%(138)
Malaysian0.1%(105)
Cambodian0.1%(97)
Filipino0%(57)
Laotian0%(52)
Japanese0%(47)
Taiwanese0%(45)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(31)
Pacific Islander origin
Guamanian0%(13)
Ancestry
Irish19%(24,567)
Italian14.8%(19,190)
English13.8%(17,922)
German10.4%(13,411)
French9%(11,692)
Polish6.6%(8,552)
American4.2%(5,498)
French Canadian3.2%(4,095)
Scottish2.6%(3,347)
Russian1.4%(1,823)
Swedish0.9%(1,229)
+ 44 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.9%(1,200)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(908)
Canadian0.6%(801)
Arab0.6%(716)
Ukrainian0.5%(707)
British0.5%(673)
Lebanese0.5%(655)
Welsh0.5%(613)
Lithuanian0.4%(560)
Norwegian0.4%(540)
Austrian0.4%(520)
Danish0.4%(511)
Hungarian0.4%(459)
West Indian0.3%(451)
Greek0.3%(427)
Portuguese0.3%(418)
Finnish0.3%(401)
Croatian0.3%(371)
Swiss0.3%(331)
Czech0.2%(289)
Romanian0.2%(217)
Ghanaian0.2%(211)
Brazilian0.1%(172)
Cape Verdean0.1%(168)
Slovak0.1%(165)
Jamaican0.1%(147)
Belgian0.1%(138)
Serbian0.1%(131)
Armenian0.1%(121)
Turkish0.1%(81)
Latvian0.1%(74)
Nigerian0.1%(69)
Haitian0%(57)
Iranian0%(53)
Israeli0%(37)
Moroccan0%(23)
Slovene0%(20)
Egyptian0%(13)
Syrian0%(11)
Kenyan0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
40.0%
+14.0 ptssince 2000
from 26.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.1%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 85.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
18.7%
+7.7 ptssince 2000
from 11.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.2 min
+61%since 2000
from 13.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
71.2%
−7.6 ptssince 2009
from 78.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.1%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.2%
+9.7 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.4%
−3.0 ptssince 2011
from 8.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.5%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 62.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 78.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
17.2%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
47.1%
+10.7 ptssince 2009
from 36.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.0%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 48.0% in 2009
Female
51.0%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 52.0% in 2009
Foreign born
6.2%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.9%
−5.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
16.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2012
from 14.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2013
from 3.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.3%
+12.1 ptssince 2017
from 78.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.3%
+3.9 ptssince 2020
from 90.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
88.7%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 87.0% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
91.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 92.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2016
from 3.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38%(20,881)
Married47.5%(26,058)
Widowed3.4%(1,852)
Divorced11.1%(6,111)
Women 15+
Never married31.9%(18,560)
Married45.4%(26,360)
Widowed9%(5,256)
Divorced13.6%(7,928)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
1.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2013
from 3.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
57.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 56.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
16.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 17.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
26.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 25.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 25.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 71.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
46.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 45.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)16.1%(1,029)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)13.9%(894)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.7%(2,480)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.1%(458)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.8%(116)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 6,411 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Berkshire County

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Pop 125,583
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Pop 130,451
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Pop 130,049
Carroll County
Pop 131,036
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Head to head

Compare Berkshire County to nearby counties

BERKSHIRE COUNTY VS
Columbia County
Income$81,528+7%
Home value$347,100+14%
Population60,168−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKSHIRE COUNTY VS
Rensselaer County
Income$87,915+16%
Home value$258,400−15%
Population160,510+25%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKSHIRE COUNTY VS
Hampshire County
Income$87,001+14%
Home value$390,300+28%
Population164,065+28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKSHIRE COUNTY VS
Hampden County
Income$71,306−6%
Home value$298,800−2%
Population464,338+262%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Berkshire County, Massachusetts?

Berkshire County, Massachusetts has about 129,430 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Berkshire County, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Berkshire County, Massachusetts earns about $76,013 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Berkshire County, Massachusetts expensive?

In Berkshire County, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $305,400, and the typical rent is about $1,097 a month.

How educated are people in Berkshire County, Massachusetts?

About 40.0% of adults age 25 and over in Berkshire County, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Berkshire County, Massachusetts?

About 11.4% of people in Berkshire County, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Berkshire County, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Berkshire County, Massachusetts has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 9,922 residents, a change of about -7 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →