Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety54#7,111/15,637
Economy26#11,634/15,631
Housing82#2,643/14,977
Health26#11,535/15,609
Healthcare54#7,214/15,650
Environment98#307/15,453
Education72#4,347/15,649
Infrastructure36#9,962/15,650
Community68#4,958/15,651
Leisure & amenities35#10,174/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Berlin, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Somerset County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Social associations · high22.6 /10k
99/100Pennsylvania 11.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Hot days · low1 days
98/100Pennsylvania 7 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSomerset County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.309
98/100Pennsylvania 0.474United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Math scores · high3.46
95/100Pennsylvania 3.12United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSomerset County value
Students per teacher · low11.3×
92/100Pennsylvania 13.1×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSomerset County value
Natural hazard risk · low6.0
90/100Pennsylvania 22.42025Federal Emergency Management AgencySomerset County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high29.1 /100k
4/100Pennsylvania 14.2 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSomerset County value
New business applications · low8.0 /1k
7/100Pennsylvania 12.4 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauSomerset County value
Job growth · low-2.7%
8/100Pennsylvania -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSomerset County value
Adult smoking · high20.2%
12/100Pennsylvania 15.6%United States 16.1%2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.4 /10k
13/100Pennsylvania 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSomerset County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low14.3%
15/100Pennsylvania 35.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
2,004 (2015-2019) → 2,481 (2020-2024)
+24%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
29.9% (2015-2019) → 4.1% (2020-2024)
−26 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
56.6% (2015-2019) → 32.2% (2020-2024)
−24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.7% (2015-2019) → 89.6% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.9 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−54%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Poverty rateImproving
16.9% (2015-2019) → 7.2% (2020-2024)
−9.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Berlin, Pennsylvania improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Inequality−0.1040.413 → 0.309
Poverty−9.7 points16.9% → 7.2%
Broadband+18 points71.7% → 89.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Berlin, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.1 min2015-2019	19.2 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.1%2015-2019	14.3%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Broadband subscriptions	71.7%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	87%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	1.06%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	2%
High school diploma or higher	88.9%2015-2019	87.3%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	−0.2×	Within the margin of error	87%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.3092020-2024	−0.104	Improved	96%
Median household income	$46,8182015-2019	$56,5742020-2024	+21%	Within the margin of error	34%
Poverty rate	16.9%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	−9.7 points	Improved	92%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.5%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−5.8 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent-burdened households	56.6%2015-2019	32.2%2020-2024	−24 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Unemployment rate	4.7%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	8%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Berlin, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Berlin, Pennsylvania in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Berlin, Pennsylvania itself moved +14 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,481 residents (±361)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 80 and over men (+6.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,481 residents (±361)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White91%2,255
Black0.6%†14
Hispanic or Latino3.2%†80

Education

1,775 residents (±276)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma13%†226
High school or GED49%876
Some college14%†246

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

974 households (±148)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k12%†114
$25k–50k22%218
$50k–75k34%†336
$75k–100k14%†138
$100k–150k16%†153
$150k–200k0.4%†4
$200k or more1.1%†11

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−23.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

974 households (±148)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own72%698
Rent28%276

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

258 households (±68)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $75055%†143
$750–1,00033%†86
$1,000–1,5009.7%†

Home values

698 homes (±143)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k59%†409
$150k–250k32%†220
$250k–400k9.9%†69

Age of homes

1,046 homes (±147)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later1.1%†11
2000–200910%†108
1980–199925%†262

Size of homes

1,046 homes (±147)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom6.7%†70
2 bedrooms21%215

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

809 workers (±138)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone87%704
Carpool5.3%†43
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.6%†21
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.1%†41
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+4.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

768 workers (±126)

Berlin, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min30%†231
15–29 min55%425
30–44 min7.0%†54

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Somerset, PA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Somerset County, the county holding most of Berlin's residents.

Somerset County has 1,647 employer establishments, 228 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248; 0.97× Pennsylvania's), with 18,678 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,427. The Census Bureau also counts 4,734 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,647; 4,734 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 228; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 18,678
Average annual pay: $52,427; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Somerset County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Religious organizations	125	17.3	3.12×More than typical	583	$27,077	—
Specialty trade contractors	107	14.8	0.96×About typical	697	$64,077	601
Ambulatory health care services	101	14	0.67×Fewer than typical	927	$66,261	169
Restaurants and other eating places	92	12.7	0.69×Fewer than typical	1,268	$16,383	17
Construction of buildings	64	8.9	1.17×About typical	259	$58,162	173
Truck transportation	61	8.4	1.67×More than typical	526	$59,580	123
Full-service restaurants	47	6.5	0.85×About typical	714	$16,697	8
Automotive repair and maintenance	46	6.4	1.26×More than typical	205	$42,478	152
Building equipment contractors	41	5.7	0.94×About typical	266	$57,301	103
Offices of physicians	41	5.7	0.88×About typical	419	$89,088	32
Services to buildings and dwellings	40	5.5	0.82×About typical	149	$39,617	287
Other specialty trade contractors	37	5.1	2.04×More than typical	251	$77,100	238

Rank places for an industry Open Somerset County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 72,270 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$3,542 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Berlin, Pennsylvania: -$1.43 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$3,542
Per resident: -$1.43; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

SZANCA SOLUTIONS INC-$3,5420.0%

Spending by fiscal year

7KFY2017
8.1KFY2018
6KFY2019
27.9FY2022
-3.5KFY2026

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Berlin, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Berlin, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Somerset County, PA ($6.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Berlin is mostly in Somerset County.

See federal money in Somerset County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Berlin, Pennsylvania is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).