What does this measure?

Median household income, in 2017 dollars, broken down by type of household. Half of incomes are below the median and half are above.

Why is this important?

Median household income is a gauge of the overall economic health of the region and the financial resources of residents. Incomes for particular household types also may indicate needs for social supports.

How is our county performing?

In 2013-17, median incomes in Berks County were lowest for households headed by single women with children, at $24,400. Incomes for households headed by single men with children were nearly twice as high, at $41,500. Married couple households had a median income of $79,700 without children and $90,400 with children. All groups experienced declines in income since 2000 (after inflation), except for married households with children which saw relatively no change in income since 2000. Berks was generally similar to Pennsylvania and the U.S., except that at the state level, both types of married households experienced increases in income since 2000. Additionally, the declines in income since 2000 for households headed by single women with children was much larger in Berks than for the state or nation.

In the City of Reading, incomes for all groups were lower than Berks County as a whole. Married couples with children had a lower median income ($38,100) than married couples without children ($51,200). All types of households had double-digit percentage decreases in income since 2000.

All household types in Chester and Montgomery counties had higher median incomes than the same groups in Berks. Compared to Berks County, surrounding counties had higher median incomes in households headed by single women with children except Schuylkill.

Notes about the data

For additional detail as to how the Berks County regions are defined and which boroughs and townships are included in each, see the About Us page.

Figures are in constant 2017 dollars. The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with 3 asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.

There may be additional research available on this topic. Click on Reports and Resources to learn more.