Berks County, Pennsylvania
Population 433,015 · Reading, Wyomissing, Shillington
- Overall cost of living: −2.9% vs the US average, higher than 83% of US counties.
- Street intersections: 86 per sq mi, higher than 95% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 19, higher than 93% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−2.9% | higher than 83% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Reading, PA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $257,300 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,181 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $145/mo | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | N/A | |
| Property tax rate | 1.65% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 3.07% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $4,239 | higher than 93% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $79,777 | higher than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -0.4% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 401.8 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈189 days | lower than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 22°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 27 in | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 16 days | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 124 days | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.7% of weeks | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.5°F | lower than 55% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 48.6 in | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $89/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $67/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $10/yr | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $4.7/yr | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $4.5/yr | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.8 µg/m³ | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 60.4 mi | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈1,188.1 ft | higher than 78% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 88.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 27.7% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 10.2% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.6:1 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87.6% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.84 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.52 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.91 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.4 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 62/100k | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 11 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.8★ | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 78.3 yrs | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 8.3% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 204/100k | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 55/100k | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 99.7/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 86.2% | higher than 85% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 48 min | lower than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 73 min | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 25 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 89.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11.9% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 72 min | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 86 per sq mi | higher than 95% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3 per 1k | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | N/A | |
| Population | 433,015 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.9 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +0.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 43.4% Dem | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 55.6% Rep | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % White | 66.6% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 24.8% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % Black | 4% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.3% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.8% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 917 parks | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 14.2 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.3 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 82 min | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.1% | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 82 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 112 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 2,766 km | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 34 km | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 280 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 214 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 37 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 33 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 41 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 33 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 147 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 44 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 221 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 84 km | higher than 82% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data