County comparison · Ireland
Cork vs Galway
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Cork pays 6% more than Galway · €46,416 vs €43,995
Cork has the higher median salary at €46,416 per year, against €43,995 in Galway — a gap of 6%. Looking at the longer trend, Cork has grown faster, at +2.7% per year on average. Industry (B to E) is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €17,873.
Growth Comparison
+2.7%
Cork annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.4%
Galway annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Cork
Galway
Cork Gender Pay Gap
23%
Galway Gender Pay Gap
12%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Cork | Galway | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €70,685 | €70,556 | +€129 |
| Education | €53,500 | €59,410 | €-5,910 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €56,725 | €54,987 | +€1,738 |
| Industry (B to E) | €63,027 | €45,154 | +€17,873 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €52,953 | €47,835 | +€5,118 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €50,963 | €47,978 | +€2,985 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €43,986 | €45,493 | €-1,507 |
| Construction | €45,005 | €43,962 | +€1,043 |
| Transportation and Storage | €43,570 | €39,555 | +€4,015 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €36,813 | €35,389 | +€1,424 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €35,633 | €33,557 | +€2,076 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €25,858 | €26,795 | €-937 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €24,866 | €27,265 | €-2,399 |
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Keep Exploring
County comparison pages are most useful when they feed the next question: which sector explains the gap, and what does each county look like on its own?
Open the full Cork county page
See the sector table, gender split, and age breakdown for Cork.
Open the full Galway county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Galway.
Check the widest sector gap in Cork
Industry (B to E) is one of the strongest differentiators between these counties.
Compare the same sector in Galway
Use the same sector slice to see where Galway lands.
Compare Cork with a nearby county
Keep exploring by testing the stronger county against Wicklow.
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