Best PlacesBerks County, PA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Berks County, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The averages hide a wide spread here, so the area matters as much as the address. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Berks County ranks 515th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $85,066, everyday costs sit below the national average, and good schools ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are property taxes, the weather, and noise.
The best neighborhoods in Berks County
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
The best areas in Berks County
The parts of Berks County, ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood, highest scoring first. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the county.
Wyomissing, Womelsdorf & Robesonia
More adults hold degrees, local pay stretches further, and incomes run higher.
Mohnton, Shillington & Wernersville
Streets are more car-dependent and fewer households have young kids.
Douglassville & Birdsboro
Tree cover is thicker and more residents vote.
Temple
Crime runs lower, though biking is worse.
Hamburg, Bernville & Leesport
Prices have run up less, though transit reaches fewer jobs.
Boyertown, Oley & Bechtelsville
It is quieter and health care is easier to reach.
Fleetwood, Kutztown & Blandon
Schools score higher.
Kenhorst & Mount Penn
More homes sit empty.
Reading
Homes cost less.
Berks County shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 5% of the country and others in the top 2%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Berks County's strengths and weaknesses
Berks County ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. Walkability is the standout, in the top 3% of counties. Big-city access and transit follow.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. Property taxes, the weather, and noise hold the score down. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where Berks County ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 97% of counties
- Big-city accessBetter than 97% of counties
- TransitBetter than 95% of counties
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of counties
- BikingBetter than 91% of counties
Where Berks County ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 5% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 7% of counties
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of counties
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 15% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Berks County
A household needs to earn about $74,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Berks County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,066, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Berks County's effective rate of 1.60%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Berks County
Berks County's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Berks County.
Who works in Berks County, and how
Work in Berks County centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Berks County
Berks County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties and less late-night activity than most counties. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Berks County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Berks County growing, and who is moving in?
Berks County has grown about 6% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Philadelphia, PA.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Berks County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Berks County, month by month
Berks County sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 67° | 54° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 67° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of Berks County
The nearest airport, Lancaster, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Philadelphia International, about 49 miles away.
The best schools in and around Berks County
Schools across Berks County average a B, better than 76% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Green Valley El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Oley Valley El SchA+ · 80% proficient
- Robeson El CtrA+ · 80% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wilson West MsA · 60% proficient
- Eyer MsA · 59% proficient
- Brandywine Heights Intrmd/msA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Oley Valley ShsA+ · 95% proficient
- Wyomissing Area JshsA+ · 90% proficient
- Schuylkill Valley HsA+ · 80% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Berks County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Berks County measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Berks County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Berks County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 76% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Berks County
Is Berks County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Berks County ranks 515th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on walkability, big-city access, and transit, and lowest on property taxes and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Berks County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $253,764. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $85,066 median income, cost of living beats 76% of counties.
Is Berks County safe?
Yes, Berks County is safer than 75% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $256 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Berks County?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 24. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 7% of counties.
What are the best neighborhoods in Berks County?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Wyomissing, Womelsdorf & Robesonia, Mohnton, Shillington & Wernersville, and Douglassville & Birdsboro. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Berks County good for families?
Schools beat 76% of counties, crime safety beats 75%, and childcare runs $948 a month.
Is Berks County good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 76% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 86% of counties. About 12% of workers already work from home.
Compare Berks County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Berks County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Berks County represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Berks County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Berks County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Berks County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Berks County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Berks County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Berks County detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.