Westmeath best in region, but incomes below state average
If wages seem somewhat lower in some parts of the country than others, no, you are not imagining it – and figures released last Wednesday show that on average, midlanders have some of the lowest incomes in the country.
The County Incomes and Regional GDP 2020 released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that disposable income per person in Westmeath – while among the highest in the Border and Midlands region – is 16 per cent below the state average, coming in at €19,729.
Westmeath is, however, significantly outperforming its midland neighbours: the figure for Longford is €18,754; for Offaly, €18,757 and for Laois, €18,842.
Overall, the midlands has the lowest total income in 2020 and has consistently remained the poorest region in the state, followed by the Border region.
According to the CSO both regions have a lower concentration of industry and manufacturing and are reliant on the public sector to generate value and employment in the region.
Donegal recorded the lowest disposable income per person in the state in 2020 at €18,322, which is 22% below the state average.
The county with the second lowest disposable income per person was Longford at €18,754, followed by Laois at €18,842.
Aoife Crowe, statistician in the National Accounts Analysis and Globalisation Division of the CSO, said: “Disposable income in Dublin City and County remained the largest in the state in 2020, accounting for €39 billion of the state total, a 9.5% rise from 2019. The Midlands region continued to be the lowest in terms of disposable income. The income of the region accounted for €5.8 billion overall and was 18.7% below the state average per person.”
Dublin’s disposable income per person stood at €27,686 in 2020, which was 18% higher than the state average, and up by 2.3% from 2019.
The next county with the highest amount of disposable income per person was Limerick at €26,248 per person, followed by Cork at €23,856. Dublin and Cork, as well as surrounding counties, benefit largely from the presence of key economic sectors, for example, the Information and Communication sector in Dublin and the Industry sector in Cork.
Employment locations and Gross Domestic Product
Employment was heavily weighted towards Dublin City and County, and 35% of all employed persons in the state were working there in 2020. Cork City and County was next highest with 12% of all employed persons working there. Both counties are outliers with respect to the rest of the country. In comparison, Galway City and County accounted for 6% of all employed persons nationally, followed by Limerick at 5% and Waterford at 2.5%.
The Westmeath figure is 1.94.