Disposable income 16.8% greater in capital at €17,042 than State average

DUBLINERS’ disposable income is 16.8% greater than the national average at €17,042, 34.9% greater than the €11,944 average disposable income of Laois residents, the lowest in the country.

Only residents of three counties Dublin, Kildare and Limerick have disposable incomes greater than the national average of €14,592, while the average disposable income of every other county in the State is below the national average, figures released by the Central Statistics Office yesterday reveal.

There are considerable differences in disposable income between the regions, between neighbouring counties and even within counties. Residents of Tipperary NR, with a disposable income of €13,804, have 10.8% more to spend each year than residents of Tipperary SR on €12,479.

Of the five counties with the lowest average disposable income, Longford €12,430, Kerry €12,386, Offaly €12,032, Donegal €12,027, Laois €11,944 just one, Kerry, is outside the EU Objective One top grant Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region. Residents of all five counties exist on average disposable incomes 15% below the average.

The figures, which relate to 2000, show the rest of Ireland is catching up slightly with the Dublin area. “The Dublin region had the highest disposable income per person of the eight regional authority areas, being 16.8% above the State average in 2000. This was slightly lower than in 1999, when it was more than 17% above the average,” the CSO said. At county level, counties other than Dublin with high levels of disposable income per person were Kildare (105.2% of the State average), Limerick (102.6%), Galway (99.1%), Waterford (97.4%) and Cork (97.2%). At the lower end of the scale there were 14 counties with disposable incomes per person below 90% of the State average. There were major differences in the GDP of each region. CSO figures are given in GVA but the CSO explain GDP and GVA are the same concept.

GDP is valued at market prices. GVA, at basic prices, on the other hand excludes product taxes and includes product subsidies.

The combined Dublin and Mid East regions produced the highest GVA per person in 2000 at 19.4% above the State average.

The level of GVA per person in this region has exceeded the State average by at least 19% in each year since 1995.

The South West region had the second-highest GVA per person in 2000 at 16.8% above the State average. The Midland and West regions continue to have the lowest GVA per person at 70.3% and 71.6% of the State average, respectively.