Berks County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Berks County, PA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 74% of counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Berks County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 432,828 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 500.3 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.55% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.9 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 163,154 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Berks County grew by 7.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 432,828 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Berks County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.2% of residents. That is 1.1 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 91,833 21.2% +1.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 86,986 20.1% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 90,504 20.9% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 76,510 17.7% -1.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Pennsylvania, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.5% of the people living in Berks County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 49.5% Pennsylvania 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Berks County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Berks County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Berks County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,413 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.26% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Berks County is about 3% higher than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Berks County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $191,878 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,180 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.3% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Berks County is about 13.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,180 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Berks County spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 179 hours, about 7.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Berks County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.4 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 42.9 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 179 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,539 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.9% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,127 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,291 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Berks County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Berks County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Berks County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.7% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.57 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Berks County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Berks County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.5 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.1% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.8% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Berks County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Berks County, PA is typical in size for this group, 432,828 residents against a local median of 378,708, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Berks County, PA sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 11% below the local median at $191,878 against $215,869. Berks County, PA has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berks County, PA | 432,828 | $80,413 #4/6 | $191,878 #4/6 | 21.4 min #3/6 |
| Lehigh County, PA | 378,708 | $80,478 | $215,869 | 21.5 min |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 143,391 | $68,265 | $74,375 | 22.1 min |
| Chester County, PA | 543,223 | $127,033 | $226,626 | 23.3 min |
| Lancaster County, PA | 557,898 | $87,635 | $244,804 | 21.0 min |
| Lebanon County, PA | 144,187 | $78,489 | $144,003 | 18.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Berks County, Pennsylvania.
How many people live in Berks County, Pennsylvania?
About 432,828 people live in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 163,154 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 38.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Berks County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Berks County, Pennsylvania has 500 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Berks County, Pennsylvania?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($191,878 against $80,413), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,180 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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