Disposable income in Offaly over 10pc lower than national average

DISPOSABLE income per person in Offaly is over ten per cent lower than the national average new figures from the Central Statistic Office reveal.

In 2024, Dublin continued to have the highest disposable income per person nationally at €33,889, followed by Limerick at €30,879 and Cork at €30,748.

The Midland region (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) continued to have the lowest levels of disposable income in 2024. The income of this region accounted for €8.8 billion overall and was 14.5pc below the national average per person.

Offaly also recorded the fifth highest social benefits per person (€8,402) with neighbours Tipperary and Westmeath coming in fourth and eighth places respectively.

Perhaps reflecting the large number of public sector workers in the county. Laois recorded a figure of €7,209 per person in social benefit transfers.

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Dublin’s disposable income per person of €33,889 in 2024 was 12pc higher than the national average of €30,139.

Longford recorded the lowest disposable income per person nationally in 2024 at €23,725 with Roscommon and donegal following in second and third places.

Neighbours Laois and Westmeath had disposable incomes of 16.2pc and 3.5pc lower than the national average while Tipperary's income per person was higher by 1.7pc.

In 2024, Gross Value Added (GVA) in basic prices per person was 74pc above the national average in Dublin and 73pc below the national average in Longford.

Over a third (35pc) of all employed people worked in Dublin in 2024, while 12pc worked in Cork and 6pc in Galway.

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 nationally in 2024, accounting for €52 billion of the State total, which was up 9.9pc from 2023. Disposable income is the amount of money left for an individual to spend after receiving social benefits and paying tax and social charges.

The Border (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo) and Midland regions consistently remain significantly below the national average for household disposable income and are largely dependent on the public administration sector to generate wealth and employment in their respective regions.

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Dublin City and County recorded the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person in Ireland at €182,305, followed by the South-West region 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.

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.