Berks County, Pennsylvania

Berks County
Reading, the largest city in the county and fourth-largest in Pennsylvania, in October 2010
Reading, the largest city in the county and fourth-largest in Pennsylvania, in October 2010
Flag of Berks County
Official seal of Berks County
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°25′N 75°56′W / 40.42°N 75.93°W / 40.42; -75.93
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedMarch 11, 1752
Named forBerkshire
SeatReading
Largest cityReading
Area
 • Total866 sq mi (2,240 km2)
 • Land857 sq mi (2,220 km2)
 • Water9.2 sq mi (24 km2)  1.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total428,849
 • Density495/sq mi (191/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts4th, 6th, 9th
Websitewww.berkspa.gov
DesignatedMay 12, 1982[1]

Berks County (Pennsylvania Dutch: Barricks Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 428,849.[2] The county seat is Reading, the fourth-most populous city in the state.[3] The county is part of the South Central Pennsylvania region of the state.[a]

The county borders Lehigh County to its north and its east, Schuylkill County to its north, Lebanon and Lancaster counties to its west, and Chester County to its south. The county is approximately 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Allentown, the state's third-largest city, and 64 miles (103 km) northwest of Philadelphia, the state's largest city.

The Schuylkill River, a 135-mile-long (217 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through Berks County. The county is part of the Reading, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which in turn is part of the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area known as the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area (CSA).

  1. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.


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