In Berks County, Pennsylvania, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Berks County, 21.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 60% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Berks County's score
In Berks County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 72.2. About one in four renters (24.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 83% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 51.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Berks County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Berks County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($78,176, 2024) and people with a disability (13.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.0% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people125.5 · 202549th percentile
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- 48.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202658th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 38.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,176 · 202423rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Berks County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Berks County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Berks County
Pennsylvania
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Berks County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 21.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Berks County, Pennsylvania, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Berks County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.3% in 2013 to 13.6% in 2014.
The share of households in Berks County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.9%
High on the chart: 13.9% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
How Berks County has changed
Berks County's population had its largest rise, from 333,938 in 1989 to 354,092 in 1994.
Berks County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 439,117, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 317,711. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Berks County rose 14% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 175,054. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.1% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,578 | 2024 $78,176 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Berks County's history
1998
Lightning in May 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in June 2001 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in June 2006 did $17.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in July 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 428,849, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Berks County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Berks County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Berks County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Berks County ranks 3rd of the seven; Schuylkill County is highest, at 29.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh County, PA | 58 | 11.1% | 20.5% |
| Berks County, PA | 54 | 12.8% | 21.9% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 51 | 12.5% | 29.3% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 35 | 9.5% | 23.7% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 19 | 7.7% | 18.5% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 9 | 6.2% | 12.5% |
| Chester County, PA | 3 | 6.4% | 10.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Berks County the poorest county in Pennsylvania?
No, Berks County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 24th highest of 67 in Pennsylvania (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Forest County, at 22.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Berks County ranks 16th of 67 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Berks County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Berks Community Action Program, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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MidPenn Legal Services
Legal aid
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Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Berks County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.