REVEALED: Where does Louth place as counties with most wealth are ranked?

People in Louth have continued to see their disposable incomes rise but still some way off  the state average with the average disposable income in the county standing at €25,688. Meanwhile the average in the State was €28,370.

That's according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) who have released the County Incomes and Regional GDP for 2022 and 2023.

Co. Louth was among the counties with the highest social benefits per person in 2023, with new CSO data showing that disposable income in the county was 10% below the State average.

The figures show Louth had the fourth highest per capita social benefits in Ireland at €7,963 per person, with only Carlow (€8,267 per person), Donegal (€8,184) and Tipperary (€8,086) receiving more in such benefits.

Disposable income in Co. Louth was below the national average but a 7.6% increase compared to the year before.

Nationally, Longford had the lowest disposable income per person in Ireland at €22,251 – 22% below the national average, and Dublin had the highest at €32,393. 

Dublin’s disposable income per person was 14% higher than the national average, increasing by 1.3% from 2022.

Dublin was followed by Cork with €29,876 per person and Limerick with €29,491.

Explaining the income data, financial expert James Dorrian of the National Pension Helpline said that social benefits and other transfers are those made to households by the State, intended to relieve households of financial risks or burdens.

"Disposable income is defined by the CSO as primary income plus social benefits and other transfers, after taxes on income and social insurance contributions are deducted," said Mr Dorrian.

Read Next: WOW! Families set to move into Ireland's first ever 3D printed homes in Dundalk

“After wages and salaries, social benefits make up the largest component of disposable income across Ireland."

“The new data also shows that 70% of Louth employees' compensation comes from domestic enterprises, which is significantly higher than the 60% recorded in Dublin.”

“While examining disposable income is more insightful than total income, another interesting piece of data included in the new report is total income per person in Ireland.”

“The data shows that in Co. Louth, total income per person was €38,792 in 2023, whereas in 2022 it was €36,200. The national average total income per person was €41,328.”