County is second poorest
by Tadhg Carey Updated: Friday, 18th February, 2011 2:00pm
Average Offalian is €2,900 less well off than State average
Offaly was the country's second poorest county in 2008, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office.
The newly-published County Incomes and Regional GDP figures show that Donegal citizens had the least average disposable income in the country in 2008, at €18,596.
However, Offaly is second bottom in the income league table of the 27 county areas (Tipperary is divided into two) in 2008. Disposable income in Offaly amounted to €19,704 that year, a slight improvement on the €19,643 recorded the previous year.
The figures represent just 87% of the State average and are a massive €5,600 per person behind the figure recorded in Dublin, the country's wealthiest county and €2,911 behind the State average.
The figures also reveal the Midlands to be the State's poorest relation, for the second successive year.
The CSO says county estimates should be interpreted with caution, but the figures regionally cite the Midlands as the State's poorest relation.
From 2000 to 2006 inclusive, the Border region, comprising Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo, was the State's poorest, but that unwanted honour fell on the Midlands, containing Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath in 2007 and was repeated in 2008.
The average disposable income of each Midlanders is €2,181, below the national average.
In further bad news for the Midlands, the statistics also showed it had the lowest GVA in the country, a measure of the value of goods and services produced in the region less the cost of the materials and services used in their manufacture which were brought in from outside the region.
At just 65.9% of the State average, the midland figure is in start contrast to the Southern and Eastern Region which is at 111% of the State average. The new statistics are likely to increase pressure on State agencies to ensure more balanced regional development.
There are also set to be renewed calls for State investment in the poorer counties, such as Donegal, Offaly and Kerry.
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