Berks County (Pennsylvania German: Barricks Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading, the fourth-most populous city in the state. The county is part of the South Central region of the commonwealth.
The county borders Lehigh County to its north, Schuylkill County to its north, Lebanon and Lancaster counties to its west, Chester County to its south, and Montgomery County to its east. The county is approximately southwest of Allentown, the state's third-largest city, and northwest of Philadelphia, the state's largest city.
The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, flows through Berks County. The county is part of the Reading, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which in turn is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area.
History Reading developed during the 1740s when inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County.The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1809, 18 vols. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Ray, 1898), vol. 5 1744-1759, pages 133-140, 502-503, Chapter CCCXCII, "An Act for Erecting Part of the Counties Of Philadelphia, Chester and Lancaster into a Separate County," March 11, 1752, confirmed by the King in Council, May 10, 1753, creation of Berks County, digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org : July 26, 2018).
It was named after Berkshire the English county in which William Penn's family home lay, of which the original town of Reading is the county town and which is traditionally abbreviated "Berks". Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size.
In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) of which is water.
Most of the county is drained by the Schuylkill River, but an area in the northeast is drained by the Lehigh River via the Little Lehigh Creek and areas are drained by the Susquehanna River via the Swatara Creek in the northwest and the Conestoga River, which starts in Berks County between Morgantown and Elverson in the county's extreme south. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa except for some Dfb on Blue Mountain at the northern boundary.) The hardiness zone is mostly 7a with 6b in some higher northern and eastern areas.
Adjacent counties Schuylkill County (north) Lehigh County (northeast) Montgomery County (east) Chester County (southeast) Lancaster County (southwest) Lebanon County (west)
National protected area Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson
State protected area French Creek State Park Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
Major roads and highways
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 428,849. The median age was 40.4 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 72.1% White, 5.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 11.7% from some other race, and 9.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 23.2% of the population.
73.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.6% lived in rural areas.
There were 161,485 households in the county, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.6% were married-couple households, 17.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 170,742 housing units, of which 5.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.7% were owner-occupied and 30.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Berks County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)294,049307,387317,025316,406291,25894.09%91.34%84.85%76.90%67.92%Black or African American alone (NH)7,5089,21412,47816,51718,0872.40%2.74%3.34%4.01%4.22%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1642653975364500.05%0.08%0.11%0.13%0.10%Asian alone (NH)1,2472,3343,7135,2446,2250.40%0.69%0.99%1.27%1.45%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census575861xx0.02%0.01%0.01%Other race alone (NH)5281493203741,5510.17%0.04%0.09%0.09%0.36%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3,2914,95211,667xx0.88%1.20%2.72%Hispanic or Latino (any race)9,01317,17436,35767,35599,5502.88%5.10%9.73%16.37%23.21%Total312,509336,523373,638411,442428,849 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, the county was 76.9% white non-Hispanic, 4.9% black, 0.3% Indian, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.
There were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of .
There were 154,356 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
Income
According to Muninet Guide's 2010 analysis, the median household income for Berks County is $54,105.
Cultural communities
Historically there is a large Pennsylvania Dutch population. It is known as part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. More recently there is a large Puerto Rican population centered in the city of Reading.
Berks County is home to an Old Order Mennonite community consisting of about 160 families, located in the East Penn Valley near Kutztown and Fleetwood. The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in the area in 1949. In 2012, Old Order Mennonites bought two large farms in the Oley Valley. The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to the Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use the horse and buggy as transportation. There are several farms in the area belonging to the Old Order Mennonite community and meetinghouses are located near Kutztown and Fleetwood.
Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Area
The Office of Management and Budget has designated Berks County as the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. census the metropolitan area is the 10th-most populous in Pennsylvania and the 128th-most populous in the U.S. with a population of 413,491.
Berks County is part of the larger Philadelphia metropolitan area, the largest in Pennsylvania and eighth-most populous in the nation with a population of 7,067,807.
Government
State Senate Judy Schwank, Democrat, Pennsylvania Senate, District 11 Tracy Pennycuick, Republican, Pennsylvania Senate, District 24 Dave Argall, Republican, Pennsylvania Senate, District 29 Katie Muth, Democrat, Pennsylvania Senate, District 44
State House of Representatives Barry Jozwiak, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 5 David H. Zimmerman, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 99 Jamie Barton, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 124 Mark Rozzi, Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 126 Manny Guzman Jr., Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 127 Mark Gillen, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 128 Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 129 David Maloney, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 130
U.S. House of Representatives Madeleine Dean, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district Dan Meuser, Republican, Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district U.S. Senate
Dave McCormick, Republican John Fetterman, Democrat
Politics As of September 21, 2023, there were 253,186 registered voters in Berks County. dos.pa.gov Republican: 107,690 (42.53%) Democratic: 104,430 (41.24%) Independent: 30,154 (11.91%) Minor parties: 10,912 (4.31%)
Berks County is strongly Republican, but is still competitive. As of 2023, the Republican Party maintained a total registration edge over Democrats in Berks County. At the top of the Pennsylvania ticket in November 2022, Berks County split its votes, supporting Democrat Josh Shapiro for governor and Republican Mehmet Oz for U.S. Senate. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was Barack Obama in 2008.
The first time since 1964 that a Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 53.9% of the vote to John McCain's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners (Rob McCord for treasurer, Jack Wagner for auditor general, and Tom Corbett for attorney general) also carried it. While Republicans have controlled the commissioner majority most of the time and continue to control most county row offices, Democrats have become more competitive in Berks in recent years. In the 2012 Presidential election, Mitt Romney carried the county by approximately a one-percent margin, 49.6% to 48.6%, however, in 2016, Donald Trump carried Berks by a much larger margin of 52.9% to 42.7%.
Education Colleges and universities Albright College Alvernia University Kutztown University Penn State Berks Reading Area Community College
Public school districts
School districts include: - Text list
Antietam School District Boyertown Area School District Brandywine Heights Area School District Conrad Weiser Area School District Daniel Boone Area School District Exeter Township School District Fleetwood Area School District Governor Mifflin School District Hamburg Area School District Kutztown Area School District Muhlenberg School District Oley Valley School District Reading School District Schuylkill Valley School District Tulpehocken Area School District Twin Valley School District Upper Perkiomen School District Wilson School District Wyomissing Area School District
Private high schools Berks Catholic High School in Reading Berks Christian School in Birdsboro Blue Mountain Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Tilden Township Conestoga Christian School in Morgantown, Pennsylvania Fairview Christian School in Reading Gateway Christian School in Mertztown Lighthouse Christian Academy in Lyons