128,726 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.8% since 2020)
927 square miles of land · 139 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
41 active community water systems list Berkshire County in the area they serve, reporting 114,258 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| PITTSFIELD DPU WATER DEPT surface water · local government · MA1236000 | 43,927 served |
| NORTH ADAMS WATER DEPT surface water · local government · MA1209000 | 13,000 served |
| LENOX DPW WATER DIVISION surface water · local government · MA1152000 | 9,800 served |
| ADAMS FIRE DISTRICT groundwater · local government · MA1004000 | 7,945 served |
| WILLIAMSTOWN WATER DEPT groundwater · local government · MA1341000 | 7,326 served |
| DALTON FIRE DISTRICT buys surface water · local government · MA1070000 | 6,330 served |
| LEE WATER DEPT surface water · local government · MA1150000 | 5,686 served |
| GREAT BARRINGTON FIRE DIST groundwater · local government · MA1113000 | 4,380 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 179 people were held in Berkshire County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 153.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
16 school districts have their office in Berkshire County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $143.4 million — $130.9 million to run schools, about $26,345 per student, plus $596,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $48.5 million local (mostly property tax), $69 million state, $18.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $44.8 million.
Spent $36.6 million — $34.2 million to run schools, about $22,101 per student, plus $16,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $22.4 million local (mostly property tax), $14.3 million state, $2.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $33 million.
Spent $34.1 million — $32.5 million to run schools, about $26,758 per student, plus $296,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.1 million local (mostly property tax), $19.5 million state, $5.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $5.3 million.
Spent $29.5 million — $28.3 million to run schools, about $23,483 per student, plus $83,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $20.7 million local (mostly property tax), $9.2 million state, $2.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.5 million.
Spent $40.8 million — $39.9 million to run schools, about $33,571 per student, plus $72,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $30.8 million local (mostly property tax), $9.7 million state, $3.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.3 million.
Spent $23.7 million — $22.4 million to run schools, about $22,677 per student, plus $108,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $10.7 million local (mostly property tax), $13.4 million state, $2.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $8.1 million.
Spent $20.2 million — $19.1 million to run schools, about $24,741 per student, plus $533,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $16.1 million local (mostly property tax), $3.4 million state, $1.3 million federal.
Spent $17.3 million — $16.4 million to run schools, about $24,516 per student, plus $158,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.2 million local (mostly property tax), $4.6 million state, $1.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $850,000.
And 8 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Berkshire County about $51.8 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively Moderate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
450 bridges in Berkshire County: 142 in good condition, 256 fair, and 52 poor (11.6%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| ST 2 W MAIN ST over RR PARR · built 1882 | 27,000 vehicles a day |
| US 20 /US7/SOUTH over RR HRR · built 1900 | 21,457 vehicles a day |
| HWY ELM ST over WATER E BR HOUSATONIC R · built 1911 | 16,642 vehicles a day |
| ST 2 STATE RD over WATER HOOSIC RIVER · built 1934 | 15,200 vehicles a day |
| US 7 SOUTH ST over RR HRR · built 1909 | 12,420 vehicles a day |
| HWY WAHCONAH ST over WATER W BR HOUSATONIC R · built 1970 | 10,214 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $46.7 million of work in Berkshire County in fiscal 2025, about $362 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
State election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting: 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-30. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-24. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-27. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-06.
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 Information for Voters, p. 4 · Cambridge Election Commission, 2026 State Election guide (return deadlines) · Mass. General Laws ch. 54, sec. 93
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Berkshire County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Berkshire County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Massachusetts: the state government and every county in Massachusetts.
Nearby counties: Columbia County, NY (23 mi) · Rensselaer County, NY (28 mi) · Hampshire County (28 mi) · Hampden County (34 mi) · Franklin County (35 mi) · Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT (36 mi).