The percentage of all occupied housing units (not vacant) that are owner-occupied (not rented).
Homeownership is an important factor for neighborhood stability and civic participation. A home is a vital financial asset for a family and an investment in both the local neighborhood and surrounding community.
In 2015-19, Berks County's homeownership rate was 72%, higher than Pennsylvania, at 69%, and the U.S., at 64%. Since 2000, the rates at the county, state and national levels all decreased about 2 percentage points.
Homeownership rates in 2015-19 were 80% or higher in the Northeast, Southeast and West regions of the county and 76% in the South region. The Central region's rate was lowest, at 51%, a decline of 9 percentage points since 2000. In the City of Reading, the 2015-19 homeownership rate was 39%, down 12 percentage points since 2000.
Berks County's homeownership rate in 2015-19 was similar to Montgomery and Lebanon counties, higher than Lancaster (68%) and Lehigh (64%), and lower than Chester and Schuylkill (75% and 76% respectively).
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.
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Multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.
2000 | 2010-14 | 2015-19 | |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 66% | 64% | 64% |
Pennsylvania | 71% | 70% | 69% |
Berks County | 74% | 72% | 72% |
Berks County Regions | |||
Central | 60% | 53% | 51% |
Northeast | 81% | 80% | 80% |
South | 78% | 77% | 76% |
Southeast | 81% | 81% | 83% |
West | 81% | 81% | 80% |
Reading city | 51% | 43% | 39% |
Berks County Peers | |||
Chester County | 76% | 75% | 75% |
Lancaster County | 71% | 69% | 68% |
Lebanon County | 73% | 71% | 70% |
Lehigh County | 69% | 67% | 64% |
Montgomery County | 73% | 73% | 72% |
Schuylkill County | 78% | 75% | 76% |
2000 | 2010-14 | 2015-19 | |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 69,816,513 | 74,787,460 | 77,274,381 |
Pennsylvania | 3,406,167 | 3,446,230 | 3,480,978 |
Berks County | 104,693 | 110,353 | 110,655 |
Berks County Regions | |||
Central | 24,733 | 22,711 | 21,177 |
Northeast | 17,336 | 18,753 | 19,302 |
South | 29,118 | 33,246 | 32,837 |
Southeast | 14,469 | 16,690 | 17,824 |
West | 17,571 | 18,950 | 19,594 |
Reading city | 15,367 | 13,030 | 11,463 |
Berks County Peers | |||
Chester County | 120,500 | 139,572 | 143,192 |
Lancaster County | 122,264 | 134,904 | 137,217 |
Lebanon County | 33,863 | 37,002 | 37,479 |
Lehigh County | 83,896 | 89,502 | 89,359 |
Montgomery County | 210,237 | 223,624 | 226,985 |
Schuylkill County | 47,177 | 44,420 | 44,446 |
INDICATORS | TREND | BERKS COUNTY |
---|---|
Vacant Housing Units | ![]() |
Homeownership Rates | ![]() |
Cost of Homeownership | ![]() |
Cost of Homeownership, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
Cost of Rent | ![]() |
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
Single-Family Home Sales | ![]() |
Median Single-Family Home Sale Price | ![]() |