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ALERT! In observance of the holiday: County of Berks offices and buildings will close to the public from 12 PM, December 24, 2024, through December 25, 2024 (reopening 8 AM, December 26, 2024) and 12 PM, December 31, 2024, through January 1, 2025 (reopening 8 AM, January 2, 2025).

Please note – 24/7 operations at the county courthouse and services center will remain operational.

About Us

About Us

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About Berks County

Berks County is an urban area of 428,849 persons (2020 Census), situated in southeastern Pennsylvania. The County is a diamond–shaped area of 864 square miles. The County seat, which is the City of Reading, is 56 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Berks County is bordered by Schuylkill County to the north, to the west by Lebanon and Lancaster Counties, to the east by Lehigh County, and to the south by Chester and Montgomery Counties. Despite its closeness to the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is considered part of Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country (Berks County Pennsylvania, Economic Resource Profile).

Berks County Comprehensive Plan 2030

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Centrally located

Through numerous Federal and State highways and turnpikes, the County is linked to other major cities such as New York (125 miles) and Baltimore (97 miles). Sections of the Blue and South Mountains, which are ridges of the Appalachian Mountain chain, form its northern and southern boundaries with elevations averaging about 640 feet above sea level. The mean annual temperature is 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The average rainfall is 41.4 inches and the average annual snowfall is 30.6 inches.

Berks County Municipalities