What does this measure?

The percentage of all occupied housing units (not vacant) that are owner-occupied (not rented).

Why is this important?

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.

How is our county performing?

In 2013-17, 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 2013-17 were 79% or higher in the Northeast, Southeast and West regions of the county and 77% in the South region. The Central region's rate was lowest, at 52%, a decline of 8 percentage points since 2000. In the City of Reading, the 2013-17 homeownership rate was 41%, down 10 percentage points since 2000.

Berks County's homeownership rate in 2013-17 was similar to Montgomery and Lebanon counties, higher than Lancaster (68%) and Lehigh (65%), and lower than Chester and Schuylkill (both at 75%).

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.

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

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.