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 links below, where data sets are regularly updated about demographics and quality of life issues.
The US Census Quick Facts for Berks County: This page provides a snapshot of the current population demographics and a host of quality of life indicators including housing, the economy, educational attainment, and poverty: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/berkscountypennsylvania/PST045219
A mapping tool of Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) is available from the Census Bureau here: https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/saipe/#/?map_geoSelector=mhi_c&s_state=42&s_year=2020&s_measures=mhi_snc.
The Census Bureau also makes data available for research through the American Community Survey: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/
The National Equity Atlas provides searchable data on equity indicators. According to the site: “National Equity Atlas indicators track how communities are doing on key measures of inclusive prosperity. We define an equitable community as one where all residents — regardless of their race, nativity, gender, or zip code — are fully able to participate in the community’s economic vitality, contribute to its readiness for the future, and connect to its assets and resources. Our indicators track change over time, are comparable across geographies, and are disaggregated by race and other demographics as much as possible.” Select the Reading MSA to dig down into local information: https://nationalequityatlas.org/indicators
The Pennsylvania Department of Health provides a full listing of health indicators for Berks County, including a notation of how our statistics compare to statewide statistics: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/HealthStatistics/VitalStatistics/CountyHealthProfiles/Documents/current/berks.aspx
County Health Rankings provides a searchable database of health indicators: https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-rankings
The Pennsylvania Department of Education maintains a database on school and student progress: https://futurereadypa.org/
The Pennsylvania Unified Crime Reporting System is a resource for statistics related to crime in the community. You can search by County for the most local statistics: https://www.ucr.pa.gov/PAUCRSPUBLIC/Home/Index
The Office of the Attorney General makes public safety statistics available, including those related to corrections, drug use, and courts: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/data/
Berks Nature releases an annual State of Environment Report for Berks County: https://berksnature.org/education/state-of-the-environment/
In 2019, Berks County Community Foundation commissioned three pieces of independent journalism as part of its Berks Vital Signs project. They are archived at these links:
We also invite you to review our Document Library, which serves as a repository for community research, making important reports and documents available in one location.