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COUNTY

Berks County

Pennsylvania · 440,072 residents (2025 est.) · 856.403 sq mi
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The short version

Berks County has roughly average household income, with a median household income of $79,777. Population has grown 16% since 2000. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $257,300. It ranks in the top 5% of US counties for household income.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
28% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 35%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
433,015
+16%since 2000
from 373,638 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
506 / sq mi
+8%since 2009
from 469 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
39.9
+7%since 2000
from 37.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:440,072 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
327K356K385K414K443K1990201020202024Berks County
2024433K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.5%(23,694)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.2%(26,661)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.3%(27,140)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.2%(31,083)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.4%(27,824)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.4%(53,872)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.2%(53,025)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.1%(52,457)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.7%(59,159)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.5%(45,284)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(22,406)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(10,410)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$79,777
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $44,714 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,815
+88%since 2000
from $21,232 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
53.0%
+20.8 ptssince 2009
from 32.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
12.2%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 9.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.446
+6%since 2010
from 0.421 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade17.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Information12%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance6.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services5.5%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$257,300
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $104,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,181
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $545 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
71.3%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 74.0% in 2000
28.7% rent
Vacancy rate
4.9%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
20.8%
−7.1 ptssince 2009
from 27.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.5%
+5.0 ptssince 2009
from 43.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.2
+7%since 2009
from 3.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
38
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Berks County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic84.8%(317,025)
Black3.3%(12,478)
Hispanic / Latino9.7%(36,357)
Asian1%(3,713)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic66.6%(288,465)
Black4%(17,109)
Hispanic / Latino24.8%(107,531)
Asian1.3%(5,418)
Other3.3%(14,492)
Diversity Score
61
+44%since 2009
from 43 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
54
−1%since 2020
from 54 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 Rican10.5%(45,598)
Dominican7%(30,304)
Mexican3.9%(16,889)
South American1.2%(5,276)
Colombian0.6%(2,430)
Guatemalan0.4%(1,638)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,526)
Spaniard0.3%(1,456)
Peruvian0.3%(1,143)
Cuban0.2%(1,025)
Ecuadorian0.2%(914)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(600)
Honduran0.1%(515)
Venezuelan0.1%(392)
Argentine0%(161)
Chilean0%(150)
Uruguayan0%(79)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.3%(1,452)
Vietnamese0.2%(1,039)
Chinese0.2%(930)
Filipino0.2%(741)
Korean0.1%(490)
Pakistani0.1%(380)
Laotian0%(140)
Japanese0%(123)
Nepalese0%(105)
Kazakh0%(49)
Cambodian0%(29)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(28)
Bhutanese0%(19)
Thai0%(18)
Taiwanese0%(14)
Burmese0%(6)
Pacific Islander origin
Fijian0%(54)
Chamorro0%(11)
Samoan0%(3)
Ancestry
German27.9%(120,786)
Irish10.1%(43,526)
Italian8.2%(35,528)
English6.3%(27,356)
Polish4.6%(19,825)
American3.7%(16,003)
Dutch1.3%(5,702)
French1.2%(5,264)
Scottish1%(4,444)
Welsh1%(4,312)
Swiss0.7%(3,013)
West Indian0.7%(2,994)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Hungarian0.7%(2,987)
Ukrainian0.6%(2,445)
Slovak0.5%(2,257)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(2,060)
Greek0.5%(1,993)
Russian0.4%(1,873)
Swedish0.4%(1,768)
Norwegian0.3%(1,386)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,346)
Romanian0.3%(1,312)
Arab0.3%(1,217)
Haitian0.3%(1,189)
Jamaican0.2%(960)
Nigerian0.2%(865)
Austrian0.2%(833)
British0.2%(760)
Czech0.2%(664)
Canadian0.1%(464)
Portuguese0.1%(445)
Danish0.1%(430)
Lebanese0.1%(396)
Turkish0.1%(385)
Egyptian0.1%(369)
Belgian0.1%(307)
Syrian0.1%(303)
Guyanese0.1%(283)
Brazilian0.1%(222)
Bulgarian0%(176)
Slovene0%(143)
Finnish0%(122)
Croatian0%(119)
Moroccan0%(105)
Latvian0%(92)
Armenian0%(76)
Ghanaian0%(64)
Kenyan0%(58)
Serbian0%(41)
Barbadian0%(35)
Somali0%(27)
Iranian0%(19)
Israeli0%(12)
Jordanian0%(10)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Puerto Rican population · Largest Irish population · Largest Italian population · Largest Dominican population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
27.7%
+9.2 ptssince 2000
from 18.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.4%
+10.4 ptssince 2000
from 78.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.2%
+3.7 ptssince 2000
from 6.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.4 min
+69%since 2000
from 15.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
73.5%
−6.7 ptssince 2009
from 80.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
9.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.0%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.9%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.5%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
8.7%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.4%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 8.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
64.3%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 66.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.0%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
35.6%
−26.1 ptssince 2009
from 61.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
Female
50.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
Foreign born
9.7%
+3.8 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.6%
−42.9 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2012
from 12.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.3%
−82.4 ptssince 2013
from 89.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.6%
+11.0 ptssince 2017
from 78.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
78.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2016
from 82.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
17.6%
+3.7 ptssince 2016
from 14.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.7%(64,170)
Married50.8%(88,966)
Widowed2.9%(5,031)
Divorced9.6%(16,792)
Women 15+
Never married31.3%(56,489)
Married48%(86,711)
Widowed9.3%(16,718)
Divorced11.4%(20,643)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Berks County

Manatee County
Pop 468,200
Onondaga County
Pop 466,584
Butler County
Pop 400,128
Sarasota County
Pop 479,958
Places similar to Berks County
Head to head

Compare Berks County to nearby counties

BERKS COUNTY VS
Lehigh County
Income$80,079same
Home value$300,400+17%
Population384,383−13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKS COUNTY VS
Schuylkill County
Income$68,313−14%
Home value$153,000−41%
Population145,085−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKS COUNTY VS
Lebanon County
Income$78,425−2%
Home value$242,000−6%
Population146,380−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BERKS COUNTY VS
Lancaster County
Income$86,959+9%
Home value$301,100+17%
Population563,159+28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Berks County, Pennsylvania?

Berks County, Pennsylvania has about 433,015 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Berks County, Pennsylvania?

The typical household in Berks County, Pennsylvania earns about $79,777 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Berks County, Pennsylvania expensive?

In Berks County, Pennsylvania, the median home is worth about $257,300, and the typical rent is about $1,181 a month.

How educated are people in Berks County, Pennsylvania?

About 27.7% of adults age 25 and over in Berks County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Berks County, Pennsylvania?

About 12.2% of people in Berks County, Pennsylvania live below the federal poverty line.

Has Berks County, Pennsylvania grown since 1990?

Yes, Berks County, Pennsylvania has grown since 1990. The population has added about 96,492 residents, a change of about 29 percent over that period.

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Explore from here

107 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 124Census Tract 104.02Census Tract 105Census Tract 109.03Census Tract 130Census Tract 103.04Census Tract 133.02Census Tract 106.02Census Tract 120.04Census Tract 101Census Tract 108.03Census Tract 116.01Census Tract 119.03Census Tract 102.02Census Tract 114Census Tract 11Census Tract 116.03Census Tract 111.02Census Tract 117.05Census Tract 127.01
51 ZIP codes (top 30 by population)
ZIP 19601ZIP 19606ZIP 19604ZIP 19608ZIP 19607ZIP 19605ZIP 19602ZIP 19518ZIP 19610ZIP 19512ZIP 19530ZIP 19508ZIP 19522ZIP 19540ZIP 19526ZIP 19611ZIP 19609ZIP 19565ZIP 19560ZIP 19533ZIP 19510ZIP 19506ZIP 19543ZIP 19567ZIP 18011ZIP 19504ZIP 19551ZIP 19547ZIP 19541ZIP 19539
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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