Educational data shows disparities in funding and student achievement across Berks County

What makes the quality of life in a community great?

The City of Reading's signs of vitality include growing diversity and youthfulness, and falling crime rates.

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What is the state of hunger in our county?

Food insecurity affects thousands of residents

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Technology transforming education in Berks

School districts investing in new tools, teaching strategies and blending online and in-person learning

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BERKS VITAL SIGNS

A Community Indicator Project for Our County

The Berks Vital Signs Project provides information about our community that can be used to improve the local quality of life and to better understand when things are going well. We invite you to explore the data sets, which include a variety of ways to compare areas within the county, with surrounding counties, and with the state and nation. This site also serves as a repository for community research, making important reports and documents available in one location.

As part of Berks Vital Signs, we are documenting life in Berks County during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

We will periodically add to a gallery here.

LEADING COUNTY INDICATORS

Click below to view interactive charts and full data on these featured indicators.

EXPLORE MAP DATA

Get Location-Based Insight

Maps provide us with a different view of data - showing us how social and economic conditions are impacting different parts of our state. Poverty, income, education levels, home values and housing affordability are examples of Berks County visualizations available in our mapping section.

BERKS VITAL SIGNS OVERVIEW

Berks County has experienced an improving economy and low unemployment. More residents have health insurance and more students are graduating from high school. Growing diversity means the county is graying more slowly than it would have without increases in younger ethnic and racial groups.

Yet, the community faces broad challenges including rising poverty and stagnant incomes. Incomes of single parents, an increasing share of families, are often not high enough to cover life’s necessities. Additionally, not all groups are sharing in Berks’ prosperity: poverty rates among children of color are much higher than those of white children.

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WHAT'S NEW

3/27

Life in Berks County during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020)

11/04

Water, water, everywhere, but is it safe to drink? (11/4/19)

6/14

Technology transforming education in Berks (6/14/19)

6/12

Pockets of low-income residents increasing in suburban Berks County (6/12/19)