Poor result as Donegal records lowest disposable income in the State 

Donegal recorded the lowest disposable income per person in the state in 2020 at €18,322, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) most recent breakdown of earning capacity around the country has revealed. 

This is a significant 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.

Dublin continued to have the highest disposable income per person in the state in 2020, followed by Limerick and Cork.

Disposable income is classified as gross income less total tax, social insurance contributions and pension contributions.

The CSO says that while the figures involve a degree of uncertainty, the gap between the lowest and highest county (Dublin and Donegal) income per capita has widened considerably and is now at €9,364, a 10% percentage change from a figure of €8,505 in 2019.

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.

More than a third (35%) of all employed persons in the state worked in Dublin in 2020 and 12% worked in Cork.