It was named afterBerkshire the English county in whichWilliam Penn's family home lay, of which the original town ofReading 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 ofNorthumberland County in 1772 andSchuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size.
In 2005, Berks County was added to theDelaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 866 square miles (2,240 km2), 857 square miles (2,220 km2) of which is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km2) (1.1%) of which is water.[6]
As of the2020 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.[11]
73.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.6% lived in rural areas.[13]
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.[11]
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%.[11]
Berks County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2010 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.[17]
There were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 inhabitants per square mile (185/km2). There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of 191.9 per square mile (74.1/km2).[17]
There were 154,356 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% weremarried 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.[17]
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.[17]
Berks County is home to anOld Order Mennonite community consisting of about 160 families, located in the East Penn Valley nearKutztown andFleetwood.[18] The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in the area in 1949.[19] In 2012, Old Order Mennonites bought two large farms in theOley Valley. The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to theGroffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use thehorse 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.[20]
Berks County is strongly Republican, but is still competitive. As of 2023, theRepublican 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, supportingDemocratJosh Shapiro forgovernor and RepublicanMehmet Oz forU.S. Senate. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county wasBarack Obama in2008.
United States presidential election results for Berks County, Pennsylvania[25]
The first time since 1964 that a Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in 2008, withBarack Obama receiving 53.9% of the vote toJohn McCain's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners (Rob McCord for treasurer,Jack Wagner for auditor general, andTom Corbett for attorney general) also carried it.[27] 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%.[28]
In July of 1985, after a year long study, a 97-page report titled Public Library Service for Berks County was released, recommending a "county-wide system of federated libraries...and to operate a center supportive of all the libraries in the system." Following this report, the Berks County Public Library System was officially established by the Berks County Board of Commissioners in 1986.[30]
The Berks County Public Library (BCPL) system consists of 19 member libraries and 4 branches:[31]
Bernville Area Community Library
Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library
Boone Area Library
Boyertown Community Library
Brandywine Community Library
Exeter Community Library
Fleetwood Area Public Library
Hamburg Public Library
Kutztown Community Library
Mifflin Community Library
Muhlenberg Community Library
Reading Public Library - Main Branch
Reading Public Library - Northeast Branch
Reading Public Library - Northwest Branch
Reading Public Library - Southeast Branch
Robesonia Community Library
Schuylkill Valley Community Library
Sinking Spring Public Library
Spring Township Library
Village Library
Wernersville Public Library
West Lawn-Wyomissing Hills Library
Womelsdorf Community Library
During the first year, the 12 libraries that were founding charter members served 45,000 registered borrowers and circulated over 470,000 items. Two branches in the county (Hamburg Public Library and the main branch of theReading Public Library) were funded by grants fromAndrew Carnegie. At this time, county funding for the library system totaled just $125,000.
As the system grew with 4 more libraries joining, the funding from the county grew to $325,000 in the year 1990. In 1990, the first public access computers were installed in System member libraries. One year later, the system took over control of a county bookmobile.
Several significant things for the library system took place in the year 1996 for its 10 year anniversary. During this year, the library system began van deliveries between branches and initiated involvement in the first ever state-wide Summer Reading program, Pennsylvania Patchwork. The system also began to offer access to the Internet. The following year, the first library automation network was installed across the system to connect the branch's collections.
In the year 2000, the number of member libraries totaled 19. The BCPL system was awarded a $225,500 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These funds were used to expand the internet access points available in the libraries and create a training lab at Reading Public Library. E-books and e-book readers were added to the system in this year as well. In 2002, after a year of development, a children's bookmobile called the Bookasaurus began to visit local preschool programs. In 2008, the system added an Early Literacy Station (ELS) to every branch in the system, which is a specific pre-loaded computer tailored to younger patrons' needs and interests. The following year, due to state-subsidized funding cuts, the county bookmobile ceased operations after more than 30 years. During this year, however, the library hosted its most successful Summer Reading yet, with over half a million books read over the course of the program.
The library system began to participate in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative in 2014.
As of 2020, the system has over 130,000 registered cardholders with a collection size of just under 950,000 items.[30][32]
The Old Morlatton Village in Douglassville is maintained by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County. The village is composed of four historic structures: White Horse Inn, George Douglass Mansion, Bridge keeper's House, and the Mouns Jones House, constructed in 1716, which is the oldest recorded building in the county.[34]
Wyomissing is home to The Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead, constructed in 1771 byOld Order Amish emigrants Nicholas Stoltzfus and his family.[35] Stoltzfus was among the small group of families whofled Europe tosettle in Pennsylvania,[36] marking the Homestead as a culturally and historically significant site for the estimated one million descendants of Nicholas Stoltzfus.[37]
West Reading in home to the annual Art on the Avenue, which reached its 25th year in 2019.[38]
Map of Berks County with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (in red), townships (in white), and census-designated places (in blue)
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:cities,boroughs,townships, andtowns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Berks County:
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by theU.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
^"PHMC Historical Markers Search".Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived fromthe original(Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2014.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe original on May 31, 2011. RetrievedJune 7, 2011.
^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).
D.B. Brunner,The Indians of Berks County, Pa., Being a Summary of all the Tangible Records of the Aborigines of Berks County, with Cuts and Descriptions of the Varieties of Relics Found within the County. Reading, PA: Eagle Book Print, 1897.
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