Dubliners had the highest level of disposable income in 2001, according to the latest County Incomes and Regional GDP bulletin published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Incomes in Dublin averaged €18,620 per person in 2001 - making them almost 17% better off than the average person in the State as a whole. According to the index, the most prosperous counties after Dublin were: Kildare, where disposable income was 105% of average; Limerick at 102.5%; Galway, 98.7%; Sligo, 98.4%; Louth, 98.3%; Cork, 97.3%; and Wicklow, 97.2%. At the lower end of the scale there were 13 counties with disposable incomes per person below 90% of the State average. Disposable incomes - earnings after income tax and social insurance deductions - were lowest in Co Laois at €13,147, while the midlands region had the lowest disposable income per person for any region - it worked out at 86.3% of the national average. The latest bulletin also measured the value added to goods and services by region, indicating that growth was fastest in percentage terms in the Border Midlands and Western (BMW) region. Of Gross Value Added (GVA) worth over €103 billion, 19.8% was contributed by the region, an increase from 19.2% in the previous year. By comparison the Dublin region contributed 80.8% of the State's output in 2000, which fell to 80.2% in 2001. GVA in the BMW region grew from €17,493 million in 2000 to €20,407million in 2001. In terms of wage bills, the total compensation of employees was highest in Dublin at €17,404 million in 2001, compared to €232 million in Co Leitrim which has the State's lowest wage bill. The CSO bulletin can be viewed hereDownload pdf Download County Incomes and Regional GDP.pdf Download County Incomes and Regional GDP.pdf