What does this measure?

The average time, in minutes, it takes a commuter to travel to his or her workplace.

Why is this important?

Travel time to work can indicate the availability of desirable and available housing near work areas, as well as transportation options available to workers in a region. In addition, travel time is a general bellwether for traffic congestion, as well as air pollution and related health problems.

How is our county performing?

In 2013-17, the average travel time for Berks County commuters was 25 minutes. This was an increase of 3 minutes since 2000. Of regions within Berks County, the Southeast had the highest average travel time, at 29 minutes, while the South had the lowest, at 23 minutes. The Central region saw the largest increase in travel time since 2000, from 20 minutes to 24 minutes.

Berks County's average travel time was slightly less than the statewide average (27 minutes) and the U.S. average (26 minutes). Among neighboring counties, Lehigh was similar to Berks. However, Berks commuters had shorter travel times than workers in Montgomery (29 minutes), Chester (28 minutes) or Schuylkill (26 minutes). Commutes were slightly shorter in Lancaster and Lebanon (both at 23 minutes).

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.

The 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. Data for this indicator are expected to be released annually in December.