The data shows people in Limerick had an average disposable income of €30,879, placing the county behind Dublin which has a big concentration of very high earners, and slightly ahead of Cork at €30,748.
Dublin still remains comfortably well in front as disposable income per person in the capital reaching €33,889 in 2024, 12pc above the national average.
The capital accounted for €52bn of total disposable income in the State, up 9.9pc year on year, the CSO said.
Disposable income measures the money households have left to spend or save after taxes and social charges are paid and social benefits are received. It does not factor in different housing costs.
Limerick has a number of major employers. Photo: Getty
While Dublin’s dominance is to be expected, Limerick’s move into second place stands out.
The CSO said both Limerick and Cork benefit from strong manufacturing activity, while Dublin’s results are driven largely by the information and communication sector.
Limerick is host to a number of multinational companies such as US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, who in 2024 announced plans for a $1bn (€907m) expansion of its Limerick manufacturing site.
This brought the company’s total investment in the Limerick region to $2bn. Other major firms based in Limerick include Johnson and Johnson and Stryker.
The figures also show how concentrated jobs and earnings remain in a handful of urban centres.
However, outside the main cities, incomes fall sharply
More than a third of all people in employment at 35pc worked in Dublin over the year, Cork accounted for 12pc, Galway 6pc and Limerick 5pc, with Waterford coming at 2pc.
However, outside the main cities incomes fall sharply. Longford recorded the lowest disposable income per person in the country at €23,725, 21pc below the national average.
Roscommon and Donegal were the next lowest, continuing a pattern where the Border and midland regions look to trail the rest of the counties around the country.
The same regional divide is visible in economic output. Dublin posted the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person at €182,305.
The south-west region, which includes Cork and Kerry, followed at €162,983, while Kildare ranked next at €81,859, the CSO said.
At the bottom of the table, Longford again recorded the lowest GDP per person at €28,689, with the Border region and Laois also among the weakest performers, where the public sector remains the main source of activity.
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