Donegal incomes the lowest in Ireland while Dubliners extend their lead

Dublin had the highest disposable income per person in the country in 2021, around 15pc higher than the state average.

The disposable income per person in Dublin stood at €27,958, rising 3.8pc from the year before.

Other high income counties such as Wicklow and Limerick saw their lead over other areas decline in the period.

Limerick’s disposable income per person was €25,190 in 2021, versus €24,702 in Wicklow and Cork’s €24,600.

Disposable income measures how much a person has after tax and including any Social Welfare payments such as pension or Child Benefit. It does not account for potentially higher costs, like rent or housing that vary county by county.

Dublin City and County was the only region where income is significantly above the state average, according to CSO data.

Higher income county typically have the highest concentrations of multinationals.

The CSO attributed the high levels of disposable income in areas around Dublin and Cork to the presence of key economic sectors in these counties. This included the information and communication industry in Dublin, as well industry in Cork.

Around 30pc of those in employment in Ireland in 2021 worked in Dublin, followed by 13pc in Cork. Around 7pc of the workforce were based in Galway, with 5.3pc in Kildare.

Limerick and Waterford accounted for 5pc and 4pc of those in employment respectively.

Donegal recorded the lowest disposable income in Ireland in 2021. The disposable income per person in the county was €19,253, more than a fifth below the state average.

The disposable income per person in Laois was slightly higher at €19,659, followed by Kilkenny at €19,696.

The Midlands region recorded the lowest levels of disposable income in Ireland, accounting for €6.7bn of the total.

The Border and Midlands counties remained “consistently” below the state average, the CSO found. These locations are also largely dependent on the public sector to grow employment and generate wealth, according to the report.

Counties in these regions also had the lowest percentage of workers as a result of low populations and a lack of industry.

GDP in Dublin and the south-west of Ireland continued to grow. The Dublin region recorded the highest GDP in the state at €199.1bn in 2021, followed by a GDP of €115.7bn in the south-west.

The largest contributor towards GDP in Dublin was the ICT sector, while the manufacturing sector was main driver of growth in the south-west of the country.