Unemployed individuals are those without jobs who are able, available and actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the total labor force (the total number of employed and unemployed individuals 16 or older and not living in prisons, mental hospitals or nursing homes).
Unemployment rates are a relatively timely indicator of current local economic conditions - particularly recent changes in the employment landscape that reflect the overall health of the economy.
In 2017, the unemployment rate in Berks County was 4.6%. This was 0.3 percentage points lower than Pennsylvania as a whole, at 4.9%, and similar to the nation, at 4.4%. From 2000 to 2017, the county's unemployment rate increased 0.7 percentage points, compared to 0.8 points statewide and 0.4 points nationally. Over the 18-year period, Berks County's unemployment rate started at a low of 3.9% in 2000 and peaked at 8.7% in 2009 and 2010.
Berks County's 2017 unemployment rate was higher than neighboring Chester (3.6%), Lancaster (3.8%), Lebanon (4.1%) and Montgomery counties (3.9%), but lower than Lehigh (5.0%) and Schuylkill (5.9%).
The unemployment rate represents only those who are actively seeking employment and does not account for under-employment or discouraged workers who have stopped looking for jobs. Also, county-level estimates are based on relatively small samples, and the true number of unemployed residents may vary considerably from the estimate. The rates reported here are averages of monthly rates. 2017 data for this indicator are expected to be released in the second quarter of 2018.
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| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 4.1% | 4.8% | 5.6% | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 4.6% | 4.4% | 5.3% | 8.0% | 8.5% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7.4% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 4.9% |
| Berks County | 3.9% | 4.8% | 6.0% | 5.9% | 5.2% | 4.9% | 4.4% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 7.1% | 5.5% | 4.9% | 5.0% | 4.6% |
| Berks County Regions | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central | 5.4% | 7.3% | 8.8% | 8.8% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 8.1% | 12.7% | 13.0% | 12.5% | 12.1% | 10.9% | 8.7% | 7.6% | 7.4% | 7.3% |
| Northeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reading city | 5.4% | 7.3% | 8.8% | 8.8% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 8.1% | 12.7% | 13.0% | 12.5% | 12.1% | 10.9% | 8.7% | 7.6% | 7.4% | 7.3% |
| Berks County Peers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | 3.0% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 5.3% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 3.9% | 3.6% |
| Lancaster County | 2.8% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 4.3% | 7.2% | 7.5% | 6.9% | 6.5% | 6.0% | 4.6% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.8% |
| Lebanon County | 3.1% | 3.6% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 6.7% | 7.5% | 6.9% | 6.7% | 6.2% | 5.0% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.1% |
| Lehigh County | 3.6% | 4.4% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% | 4.9% | 4.6% | 4.4% | 5.6% | 8.7% | 9.2% | 8.6% | 8.5% | 7.8% | 6.1% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.0% |
| Montgomery County | 3.1% | 3.7% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.2% | 3.9% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 6.8% | 6.9% | 6.5% | 6.4% | 5.9% | 4.7% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 3.9% |
| Schuylkill County | 5.8% | 6.5% | 7.0% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 5.9% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 6.2% | 9.9% | 10.6% | 9.8% | 9.7% | 9.2% | 7.1% | 6.3% | 6.2% | 5.9% |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 252,341 | 296,929 | 350,036 | 348,648 | 336,781 | 310,832 | 287,870 | 278,934 | 341,890 | 514,912 | 540,062 | 506,761 | 505,625 | 474,600 | 375,036 | 340,483 | 347,589 | 315,737 |
| Berks County | 7,597 | 9,379 | 11,817 | 11,437 | 10,273 | 9,697 | 8,783 | 8,621 | 11,038 | 17,796 | 18,230 | 16,573 | 16,233 | 15,072 | 11,589 | 10,484 | 10,599 | 9,773 |
| Berks County Regions | ||||||||||||||||||
| Central | 1,834 | 2,503 | 3,016 | 2,919 | 2,599 | 2,553 | 2,226 | 2,176 | 2,739 | 4,277 | 4,506 | 4,358 | 4,206 | 3,770 | 2,986 | 2,598 | 2,528 | 2,476 |
| Northeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||
| Southeast | ||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reading city | 1,834 | 2,503 | 3,016 | 2,919 | 2,599 | 2,553 | 2,226 | 2,176 | 2,739 | 4,277 | 4,506 | 4,358 | 4,206 | 3,770 | 2,986 | 2,598 | 2,528 | 2,476 |
| Berks County Peers | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chester County | 7,134 | 8,249 | 10,079 | 10,153 | 9,386 | 9,344 | 8,766 | 8,357 | 10,747 | 16,739 | 16,841 | 15,592 | 15,353 | 14,448 | 11,390 | 10,556 | 10,867 | 10,083 |
| Lancaster County | 7,014 | 8,764 | 10,266 | 10,629 | 10,186 | 9,773 | 9,350 | 9,216 | 11,677 | 19,438 | 20,089 | 18,270 | 17,534 | 16,283 | 12,576 | 11,355 | 11,557 | 10,703 |
| Lebanon County | 2,018 | 2,384 | 2,841 | 2,847 | 2,761 | 2,519 | 2,402 | 2,496 | 3,045 | 4,878 | 5,236 | 4,833 | 4,731 | 4,397 | 3,476 | 3,173 | 3,164 | 2,915 |
| Lehigh County | 5,899 | 7,340 | 9,473 | 9,484 | 8,977 | 8,397 | 7,943 | 7,737 | 10,055 | 15,478 | 16,284 | 15,521 | 15,511 | 14,348 | 11,109 | 9,909 | 10,105 | 9,487 |
| Montgomery County | 12,795 | 15,594 | 19,565 | 19,113 | 17,576 | 16,399 | 15,245 | 14,930 | 18,883 | 28,982 | 29,893 | 27,952 | 27,696 | 25,535 | 20,331 | 18,353 | 18,538 | 17,320 |
| Schuylkill County | 4,078 | 4,579 | 4,882 | 4,906 | 4,758 | 4,141 | 3,872 | 3,686 | 4,630 | 7,303 | 7,492 | 6,833 | 6,906 | 6,460 | 4,889 | 4,288 | 4,170 | 3,886 |
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