Disposable income for Cork people averages more than €30k

Cork has been passed by second-placed Limerick in the rankings which measure disposable income per person in the country.

Dublin had the highest disposable income per person nationally at €33,889, followed by Limerick at €30,879 and Cork at €30,748, according to the latest CSO data.

Disposable income is the amount of money left for an individual to spend after receiving social benefits and paying tax and social charges.

The statistics from 2024 show the national average disposable income per person was €30,139.

Longford recorded the lowest disposable income per person nationally in 2024 at €23,725.

In the 2023 data, Cork was in second place at €28,799 — slightly higher than Limerick, which was €28,622. The Dublin figure was €31,454 in 2023.

Gap

The most recent figures available — for 2024 — show the gap between the lowest and highest county income per capita stood at €10,164 in 2024, a jump of €1,648 from 2023.

“Dublin, Limerick, 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 manufacturing sector in Cork and Limerick,” said CSO statistician Aoife Crowe.

Over a third (35%) of all employed people worked in Dublin in 2024, while 12% worked in Cork and 6% in Galway, Limerick 5%, and Waterford 2%.

Dublin also recorded the highest GDP per person in the State at €182,305, followed by the south-west region (Cork and Kerry) at €162,983, and Kildare at €81,859.

“The information and communication sector was the largest contributor towards GDP in Dublin, while manufacturing contributed most towards GDP in the South-West and Kildare,” said Ms Crowe.

Economic activity

GDP measures total economic activity. The lowest GDP per person in the State was recorded in Longford at €28,689, followed by the Border region at €32,617 and Laois at €32,717 where the public sector remained the strongest contributor towards GDP.

Social benefits are the largest contributor towards disposable income after wages and salaries. Social benefits per capita were highest in Louth at €9,288, followed by Carlow (€9,032), Donegal (€8,827), and Tipperary (€8,758).

Social benefits were lowest per capita in Dublin at €6,387, followed by Kildare (€6,668) and Galway (€6,866). They were €7,178 in Cork, €7,970 in Limerick, €6,929 in Clare, and €8,304 in Waterford.