PEOPLE LIVING in County Donegal have the least cash of all Irish residents, according to stats published this morning.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office showed that people in Donegal had an average income of €20,518 – falling to €17,708 once taxes and social contributions had been taken care of.
The next worst-off were people from Monaghan, who earned €21,248 and had an average of €18,011 to spend after paying their various taxes. The residents of Co Offaly were left with €18,621 after paying taxes, on €22,128.
By comparison, Dubliners had the most cash to spare after paying their taxes: they had €24,316 to live on, on average, once their taxes and contributions had been deducted.
The people of Kildare were the next best-off, with an average income of €27,498, while Meath had an average income of €26,312 – making them the only counties, other than Dublin, to have an average income higher than the national average of €26,192.
The mid-west – including the counties of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary – had the highest regional income after the greater Dublin area, at €26,642.
The figures, relating to 2009, show that the average person had €21,356 to spend after taking care of their tax and social contributions bills.
They also show that the average income for a person living in Ireland grew by just over 50 per cent in the years from 2000 to 2009.
Louth’s incomes grew at the slowest rate of all counties; in 2009 the average income was 40 per cent higher than it had been in 2000.
By comparison, Sligo saw its incomes rise at the fastest rate: its incomes were 63 per cent higher when the decade ended than they were when it began.
The stats also show that the average income fell by 8 per cent between 2008 and 2009, when Ireland was forced into the first of five successive austerity budgets.
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