There were 1,022 business licenses issued in Berks County in 2022 in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
This is a 37.3 percent decrease from the previous year when there were 1,630 licenses issued.
Pennsylvania suffered a surge of unemployment and business closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The average annual unemployment rate in the state more than doubled in 2020 to 9.1 percent. This was the highest annual unemployment rate in Pennsylvania since 2003.
Comparison of business licenses issued by County and Year
| County | Issued in 2022 | Issued in 2021 | Percentage change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 320 | 505 | -36.6% |
| Allegheny | 5,707 | 10,351 | -44.9% |
| Armstrong | 168 | 282 | -40.4% |
| Beaver | 456 | 804 | -43.3% |
| Bedford | 67 | 103 | -35% |
| Berks | 1,022 | 1,630 | -37.3% |
| Blair | 319 | 524 | -39.1% |
| Bradford | 104 | 183 | -43.2% |
| Bucks | 2,802 | 4,474 | -37.4% |
| Butler | 292 | 521 | -44% |
| Cambria | 298 | 481 | -38% |
| Cameron | 18 | 16 | 12.5% |
| Carbon | 245 | 432 | -43.3% |
| Centre | 566 | 850 | -33.4% |
| Chester | 2,479 | 4,138 | -40.1% |
| Clarion | 65 | 84 | -22.6% |
| Clearfield | 118 | 182 | -35.2% |
| Clinton | 124 | 187 | -33.7% |
| Columbia | 233 | 300 | -22.3% |
| Crawford | 227 | 406 | -44.1% |
| Cumberland | 1,352 | 2,139 | -36.8% |
| Dauphin | 1,681 | 2,782 | -39.6% |
| Delaware | 2,032 | 4,367 | -53.5% |
| Elk | 52 | 103 | -49.5% |
| Erie | 1,064 | 1,460 | -27.1% |
| Erie Erie | 1 | 0 | – |
| Fayette | 277 | 410 | -32.4% |
| Forest | 10 | 9 | 11.1% |
| Franklin | 565 | 797 | -29.1% |
| Fulton | 25 | 24 | 4.2% |
| Greene | 90 | 129 | -30.2% |
| Hatfield Montgomery | 1 | 0 | – |
| Huntingdon | 103 | 189 | -45.5% |
| Indiana | 96 | 174 | -44.8% |
| Jefferson | 168 | 253 | -33.6% |
| Juniata | 67 | 104 | -35.6% |
| Lackawanna | 788 | 1,344 | -41.4% |
| Lancaster | 1,393 | 2,169 | -35.8% |
| Lawrence | 287 | 478 | -40% |
| Lebanon | 161 | 235 | -31.5% |
| Lehigh | 1,943 | 3,251 | -40.2% |
| Luzerne | 875 | 1,329 | -34.2% |
| Lycoming | 356 | 520 | -31.5% |
| Mckean | 46 | 71 | -35.2% |
| Mercer | 247 | 413 | -40.2% |
| Mifflin | 124 | 183 | -32.2% |
| Monroe | 680 | 1,235 | -44.9% |
| Montgomery | 3,771 | 6,525 | -42.2% |
| Montour | 68 | 102 | -33.3% |
| none Allegheny | 1 | 0 | – |
| Northampton | 964 | 1,525 | -36.8% |
| Northumberland | 175 | 283 | -38.2% |
| Perry | 122 | 182 | -33% |
| Philadelphia | 12,711 | 27,938 | -54.5% |
| Pike | 87 | 140 | -37.9% |
| Pittsburgh Allegheny | 1 | 0 | – |
| Potter | 46 | 64 | -28.1% |
| Schuylkill | 399 | 534 | -25.3% |
| Snyder | 129 | 178 | -27.5% |
| Somerset | 118 | 151 | -21.9% |
| Sullivan | 16 | 32 | -50% |
| Susquehanna | 79 | 157 | -49.7% |
| Tioga | 91 | 149 | -38.9% |
| Union | 134 | 201 | -33.3% |
| Venango | 70 | 139 | -49.6% |
| Warren | 37 | 63 | -41.3% |
| Washington | 587 | 936 | -37.3% |
| Wayne | 184 | 296 | -37.8% |
| Westmoreland | 1,073 | 1,725 | -37.8% |
| Wyoming | 35 | 51 | -31.4% |
| York | 1,646 | 2,531 | -35% |
