People in County Roscommon continue to have low level of disposable income

County Roscommon continues to have one of the lowest levels of disposable income in the country, according to the latest figures from the CSO.

In 2023 the county had an estimated disposable income per person of €24,263, however, this is an increase on the 2022 figure of €22,624.

Disposable income is the amount of money left for an individual to spend after receiving social benefits and paying tax and social charges.

The Central Statistics Office recently published figures on County Incomes and Regional GDP 2022 – 2023. The total estimated disposable household income for the county was €1.7 billion for 2023, the lowest level in the western region of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Income from social transfers in total was estimated to be €505 million for the county in 2023. Income from taxation, which includes State pensions and private contributions, was estimated at € 613 million, while income for the self-employed was estimated at €242 million.

Nationally it also found that County Dublin continued to have the highest disposable income per person at €32,393 in 2023, followed by Cork at €29,876 and Limerick at €29,491. Income per person in the capital has risen to 14.2% above the state average for 2023 and has been increasing year-on-year since 2012.

County Longford recorded the lowest disposable income per person nationally in 2023 at €22,251; it is 22 per cent below the state average of €28,370, falling a further 5.2 per cent from 2022. County Longford is followed by counties Laois, Donegal, Offaly, and Roscommon in areas with the lowest disposable income.

In terms of other neighbouring counties, in 2023 the average disposable income per person in County Mayo was €26,327, €26,087 in Sligo, €28,971 in Galway, and €24,881 in Leitrim.

The data also captured information on the income from social benefits and other transfers. These are the social transfers to households made by the State, either in cash or in kind, intended to relieve households of certain financial risks or burdens. For County Roscommon in 2023, the social transfers per person was €6,952.

In terms of workforce, approximately 1.1 per cent of the total national workforce is employed in County Roscommon. Over a third (35 per cent) of all people working in Ireland work in Dublin City and County, followed by Cork City and County which accounts for 12 per cent of all people employed.