Scores by category

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

Safety69#4,824/15,637
Economy56#6,843/15,631
Housing31#10,358/14,977
Health68#4,949/15,609
Healthcare61#6,117/15,650
Environment25#11,627/15,453
Education45#8,621/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,154/15,650
Community73#4,168/15,651
Leisure & amenities36#10,047/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Wernersville, Pennsylvania ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Berks 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

Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Pennsylvania 0.9United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBerks County value
Flu vaccinations · high53.0%
87/100Pennsylvania 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBerks County value
Dental care shortage · low0.0
84/100Pennsylvania 4.8United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBerks County value
Unemployment rate · low2.0%
83/100Pennsylvania 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Natural hazard risk · low12.8
79/100Pennsylvania 22.42025Federal Emergency Management AgencyBerks County value
Violent crime rate · low122 /100k
79/100Pennsylvania 227 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationBerks County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low73.8%
1/100Pennsylvania 89.7%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Time spent in the emergency room · high231 min
7/100Pennsylvania 191 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBerks County value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Pennsylvania 2.0 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Drought exposure · high79%
14/100Pennsylvania 26%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAABerks County value
Child care cost burden · high37.9%
14/100Pennsylvania 34.6%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBerks County value
Preventable hospital stays · high3,728 /100k
14/100Pennsylvania 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBerks County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
13.7% (2015-2019) → 3.0% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.6% (2015-2019) → 60.1% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$55,495 (2015-2019) → $75,750 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
31.9% (2015-2019) → 38.3% (2020-2024)
+6.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
High school diploma or higherImproving
90.7% (2015-2019) → 96.8% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Unemployment rateImproving
6.2% (2015-2019) → 2.0% (2020-2024)
−4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Wernersville, Pennsylvania improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Wernersville, Pennsylvania between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.2 min2015-2019	23.8 min2020-2024	−2.5 min	Within the margin of error	75%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.0%2015-2019	26.4%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	76.5%2015-2019	73.8%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Effective property tax rate	2.06%2015-2019	1.63%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
High school diploma or higher	90.7%2015-2019	96.8%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	76%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4162015-2019	0.4212020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$55,4952015-2019	$75,7502020-2024	+36%	Within the margin of error	68%
Poverty rate	9.9%2015-2019	8.2%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.9%2015-2019	38.3%2020-2024	+6.4 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Rent-burdened households	52.6%2015-2019	60.1%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.1%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	30%

“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 Wernersville, Pennsylvania five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wernersville, 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, Wernersville, Pennsylvania itself moved −0.4 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

2,786 residents (±33)

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: 10–19 men (+4.7 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

2,786 residents (±33)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

White85%2,377
Black5.5%†154
Hispanic or Latino6.3%†175
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.9%†80

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Asian (−2.8 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,062 residents (±215)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

No high school diploma3.2%†66
High school or GED44%916
Some college15%†311
Associate degree11%†225
Bachelor's degree20%405
Graduate degree6.7%†139

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−6.1 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

1,180 households (±182)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $25k14%†170
$25k–50k24%†282
$50k–75k11%†135
$75k–100k16%†193
$100k–150k18%†207
$150k–200k9.1%†107
$200k or more7.3%†86

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−10.9 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

1,180 households (±182)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Own70%823
Rent30%357

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

346 households (±87)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $7506.9%†24
$750–1,00014%†49
$1,000–1,50032%†

Home values

823 homes (±163)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under $150k12%†97
$150k–250k44%†359
$250k–400k37%308

Age of homes

1,246 homes (±180)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

2010 or later3.6%†45
2000–200911%†142
1980–199924%†

Size of homes

1,246 homes (±180)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Studio0.8%†10
1 bedroom17%†209
2 bedrooms17%†211

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

1,229 workers (±161)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Drive alone74%914
Carpool6.0%†74
Public transit1.2%†15
Walk0.5%†6
Bike1.1%†13
Work from home15%†188
Other1.5%†19

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+11.7 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

1,041 workers (±183)

Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania share

Under 15 min24%†251
15–29 min45%471
30–44 min16%†164

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 Reading, 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 Berks County, the county holding most of Wernersville's residents.

Berks County has 8,521 employer establishments, 196 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248; 0.83× Pennsylvania's), with 172,167 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,525. The Census Bureau also counts 30,812 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,521; 30,812 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 196; US 248 · Pennsylvania 236
Paid employees: 172,167
Average annual pay: $57,525; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	606	13.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	10,634	$19,275	262
Ambulatory health care services	596	13.7	0.66×Fewer than typical	9,960	$84,336	1,250
Specialty trade contractors	590	13.6	0.88×About typical	5,101	$77,374	2,178
Services to buildings and dwellings	359	8.3	1.22×About typical	2,598	$48,843	1,677
Religious organizations	287	6.6	1.19×About typical	2,511	$27,239	—
Full-service restaurants	274	6.3	0.82×About typical	5,176	$20,459	80
Limited-service restaurants	266	6.1	0.76×Fewer than typical	4,673	$18,224	147
Construction of buildings	257	5.9	0.78×Fewer than typical	1,766	$69,414	980
Automotive repair and maintenance	256	5.9	1.17×About typical	1,220	$43,911	524
Lessors of real estate	250	5.7	0.47×Fewer than typical	909	$112,314	2,807
Building equipment contractors	244	5.6	0.93×About typical	2,733	$81,247	422
Personal care services	240	5.5	1.16×About typical	1,240	$26,827	1,287

Rank places for an industry Open Berks County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 435,061 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Wernersville, Pennsylvania: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
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

Spending by fiscal year

530.8FY2017
20.4FY2018

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 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 Wernersville, Pennsylvania, so they do not add up across cities.

Wernersville, Pennsylvania's figures are part of those of Berks County, PA ($134.2M 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: Wernersville is mostly in Berks County.

See federal money in Berks 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.

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