Income to individuals from governmental programs (welfare/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, unemployment and food stamps), expressed on a per capita basis.
Per capita income from governmental programs is one measure of a region's overall poverty. It takes into account not just the relative frequency of poor individuals, but also the average level of poverty experienced.
In 2019, Berks County received $3,200 in public assistance income per resident. This was less than Pennsylvania as a whole, at $3,500, but more than the nation, at $2,700. Berks received more public assistance per resident in 2019 than any neighboring county except Lehigh, which was similar, at $3,300.
Between 2001 and 2019, public assistance per resident in Berks County increased 93% (after inflation), compared to 79% statewide and 55% nationally. The increase in Berks County was less than in neighboring Chester (103%) and Montgomery counties (96%), but more than Lancaster (88%) Lebanon (78%), Lehigh (74%) and Schuylkill (83%) counties.
Figures are in constant 2019 dollars. This data is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Eligibility requirements for many public assistance programs vary from state to state. Families are eligible for temporary assistance benefits for up to 60 months, although most receive assistance for shorter periods.
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| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $1,765 | $1,895 | $1,972 | $2,076 | $2,131 | $2,047 | $2,118 | $2,139 | $2,388 | $2,533 | $2,495 | $2,480 | $2,517 | $2,626 | $2,763 | $2,785 | $2,740 | $2,688 | $2,728 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,944 | $2,025 | $2,129 | $2,285 | $2,455 | $2,282 | $2,344 | $2,343 | $2,557 | $2,796 | $2,807 | $2,779 | $2,822 | $2,927 | $3,098 | $3,398 | $3,194 | $3,496 | $3,487 |
| Berks County | $1,668 | $1,762 | $1,825 | $2,008 | $2,233 | $2,187 | $2,049 | $2,089 | $2,332 | $2,566 | $2,604 | $2,621 | $2,664 | $2,724 | $2,900 | $3,166 | $2,970 | $3,221 | $3,215 |
| Berks County Regions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Central | |||||||||||||||||||
| Northeast | |||||||||||||||||||
| South | |||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast | |||||||||||||||||||
| West | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reading city | |||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County Peers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | $853 | $888 | $941 | $1,025 | $1,132 | $1,076 | $1,123 | $1,092 | $1,254 | $1,430 | $1,440 | $1,411 | $1,419 | $1,493 | $1,569 | $1,692 | $1,577 | $1,741 | $1,731 |
| Lancaster County | $1,281 | $1,385 | $1,446 | $1,592 | $1,763 | $1,641 | $1,615 | $1,656 | $1,846 | $2,068 | $2,076 | $2,059 | $2,104 | $2,149 | $2,238 | $2,372 | $2,215 | $2,408 | $2,408 |
| Lebanon County | $1,549 | $1,663 | $1,661 | $1,881 | $2,032 | $1,827 | $1,768 | $1,836 | $2,017 | $2,200 | $2,215 | $2,189 | $2,283 | $2,312 | $2,455 | $2,707 | $2,525 | $2,743 | $2,751 |
| Lehigh County | $1,873 | $1,997 | $2,050 | $2,173 | $2,399 | $2,201 | $2,254 | $2,266 | $2,404 | $2,614 | $2,576 | $2,563 | $2,610 | $2,719 | $2,895 | $3,199 | $2,989 | $3,265 | $3,268 |
| Montgomery County | $1,140 | $1,199 | $1,283 | $1,401 | $1,471 | $1,340 | $1,415 | $1,411 | $1,600 | $1,793 | $1,776 | $1,772 | $1,770 | $1,925 | $2,055 | $2,182 | $2,028 | $2,251 | $2,239 |
| Schuylkill County | $1,714 | $1,821 | $1,902 | $2,117 | $2,213 | $2,070 | $2,106 | $2,139 | $2,261 | $2,391 | $2,475 | $2,392 | $2,406 | $2,623 | $2,768 | $3,005 | $2,858 | $3,139 | $3,142 |
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 503,071,191,022 | 545,035,428,310 | 571,978,349,332 | 607,988,617,083 | 629,774,955,238 | 610,726,021,548 | 638,041,412,420 | 650,391,607,488 | 732,493,644,933 | 782,005,164,210 | 777,329,621,217 | 778,401,259,959 | 795,436,473,311 | 835,919,857,892 | 885,795,517,976 | 899,478,419,250 | 890,490,920,255 | 878,105,899,262 | 895,274,000,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 23,907,601,953 | 24,974,421,777 | 26,343,825,426 | 28,360,843,049 | 30,562,673,805 | 28,547,757,561 | 29,450,381,371 | 29,552,857,003 | 32,386,520,127 | 35,521,332,216 | 35,773,635,898 | 35,473,871,356 | 36,057,585,320 | 37,429,966,243 | 39,609,736,333 | 43,431,854,633 | 40,849,884,446 | 44,756,244,554 | 44,641,511,000 |
| Berks County | 629,723,178 | 671,763,992 | 704,090,494 | 784,708,642 | 884,219,777 | 878,833,619 | 830,472,805 | 851,714,237 | 955,724,151 | 1,055,893,565 | 1,075,351,950 | 1,083,916,018 | 1,102,554,765 | 1,129,183,068 | 1,203,832,666 | 1,316,482,237 | 1,239,987,556 | 1,354,694,888 | 1,354,165,000 |
| Berks County Regions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Central | |||||||||||||||||||
| Northeast | |||||||||||||||||||
| South | |||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast | |||||||||||||||||||
| West | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reading city | |||||||||||||||||||
| Berks County Peers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | 376,331,146 | 397,760,511 | 428,219,917 | 474,682,913 | 532,487,845 | 515,418,969 | 545,980,380 | 536,444,745 | 622,241,661 | 713,829,104 | 724,961,415 | 714,081,133 | 722,377,506 | 765,544,420 | 808,360,733 | 874,132,897 | 818,052,337 | 908,852,098 | 908,655,000 |
| Lancaster County | 608,986,234 | 665,189,955 | 701,292,161 | 780,227,540 | 872,112,396 | 821,911,892 | 818,452,085 | 847,908,527 | 953,361,073 | 1,074,379,385 | 1,087,881,404 | 1,085,028,423 | 1,115,190,722 | 1,145,785,827 | 1,199,138,407 | 1,276,663,756 | 1,198,917,853 | 1,309,649,198 | 1,314,330,000 |
| Lebanon County | 187,352,841 | 202,388,256 | 204,618,692 | 234,439,770 | 256,425,411 | 234,375,077 | 230,154,431 | 241,525,409 | 268,162,370 | 293,883,148 | 297,957,545 | 296,758,055 | 310,067,120 | 315,733,198 | 337,561,686 | 374,928,164 | 352,396,140 | 387,627,720 | 390,048,000 |
| Lehigh County | 589,811,237 | 633,480,813 | 659,279,657 | 708,654,407 | 794,933,566 | 741,385,010 | 768,403,770 | 781,337,702 | 834,602,958 | 914,075,543 | 910,478,934 | 909,405,513 | 927,497,262 | 972,443,910 | 1,041,236,769 | 1,158,895,598 | 1,092,528,996 | 1,202,754,767 | 1,206,986,000 |
| Montgomery County | 866,076,703 | 918,627,187 | 991,119,664 | 1,087,905,122 | 1,146,292,420 | 1,047,382,090 | 1,111,105,874 | 1,113,630,174 | 1,273,156,058 | 1,434,103,097 | 1,429,822,740 | 1,433,298,923 | 1,438,262,540 | 1,570,522,282 | 1,679,409,028 | 1,788,876,790 | 1,671,805,079 | 1,861,426,331 | 1,860,652,000 |
| Schuylkill County | 255,727,735 | 270,842,941 | 281,085,145 | 311,326,346 | 325,227,645 | 306,413,031 | 312,548,580 | 317,550,543 | 335,480,919 | 354,596,644 | 365,115,825 | 351,928,406 | 352,841,054 | 381,398,006 | 398,921,437 | 431,158,281 | 407,561,814 | 445,103,635 | 444,140,000 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | BERKS COUNTY |
|---|---|
| Unemployment Rate |  Decreasing |
| Change in Labor Force | Decreasing |
| Employment to Population ratio | Decreasing |
| Change in Jobs by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Sector Share of Total Jobs | Not Applicable |
| Average Salary by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Change in Average Salary by Sector | Not Applicable |
| People Entering/Leaving County/Region for Work | Not Applicable |
| Public Assistance |  Maintaining |
| Spending for Local Governments | Maintaining |
| Spending for Counties | Maintaining |
| Spending for School Districts | Maintaining |
Increasing
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