What does this measure?

The number of households that do not report having a vehicle kept at the home and available for use, expressed as a percentage of all households.

Why is this important?

A vehicle makes it easier for people to work and to conduct daily business such as doctor's visits and shopping. Ready access to transportation can also make it simpler to get involved in schools, religious organizations and other forms of civic life.

How is our county performing?

In 2013-17, 8% of Berks County households did not have a vehicle, down 3 percentage points since 2000. In the Central region of the county, 20% of households lacked access to a vehicle, compared to 4% or 5% in all other regions of Berks. In the City of Reading, 27% of households lacked access to a vehicle, down from 30% in 2000.

The countywide percentage of households without access to a vehicle in 2013-17 was slightly lower than Pennsylvania, at 11%, and similar to the nation.

Most neighboring counties were similar to Berks, including Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh and Schuylkill. The percentage of households without access to a vehicle was down 4 percentage points in Schuylkill, at 9%, since 2000. This was the largest change in all the comparison counties during this period. A smaller share of households reported lacking a vehicle in Chester (5%) and Montgomery (6%) counties.

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.