County Incomes and Regional GDP 2020 was published on 16th February 2023. Data for total numbers employed were revised on 23rd May 2023. The data revisions included a redistribution of total persons employed across counties so that the total number employed in each NUTS 3 region is consistent with figures produced in the Labour Force Survey.
All content referencing total numbers employed in the Regional GDP and County Income publication including text, graphs, data tables and PxStat tables have been updated to reflect the revisions. Details as to the extent and impact of these revisions on previously published data can be found in the County Incomes and Regional GDP 2020 Information Note.
Dublin continued to have the highest disposable income per person in the state in 2020, followed by Limerick and Cork.
Dublin’s disposable income per person stood at €27,686 in 2020; 18% higher than the state average, having risen a further 2.3% from 2019.
Donegal recorded the lowest disposable income per person in the state in 2020 at €18,322.
Under a third (30%) of all employed persons in the state worked in Dublin in 2020 and 12% worked in Cork.
The Dublin NUTS2 region recorded the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the state at €157.2 billion, followed by the South-West region at €103.2 billion.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (16 February 2023) released County Incomes and Regional GDP 2020.
Commenting on the release, 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, an 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.
County Breakdowns
Dublin continued to have the highest disposable income per person in the state in 2020, followed by Limerick and Cork.
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 & Communication sector in Dublin and the Industry sector in Cork.
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. The Border and Midlands counties consistently remain significantly below the state average for household disposable income and are largely dependent on the Public Administration sector to generate wealth and employment in their respective regions.
Employment locations and Gross Domestic Product
Employment was heavily weighted towards Dublin City and County, with 30% of all employed persons in the state working in the Dublin area 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%.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Dublin and the South-West continued to rise compared with other regions. The Dublin NUTS2 region recorded the highest GDP in the state at €157.2 billion, followed by the South-West region at €103.2 billion. The Information & Communication sector was the largest contributor towards GDP in Dublin, while the manufacturing industry contributed most towards GDP in the South-West. Overall, manufacturing was the most valuable industry in all regions in 2020, except for the Border and Midland areas where the public sector remained the strongest contributor to GDP.”