County comparison · Ireland
Cork vs Limerick
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Cork pays 4% more than Limerick · €46,416 vs €44,498
Cork has the higher median salary at €46,416 per year, against €44,498 in Limerick — a gap of 4%. Looking at the longer trend, Cork has grown faster, at +2.7% per year on average. Information and Communication is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €11,949.
Growth Comparison
+2.7%
Cork annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.5%
Limerick annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Cork
Limerick
Cork Gender Pay Gap
23%
Limerick Gender Pay Gap
17%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Cork | Limerick | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €70,685 | €58,736 | +€11,949 |
| Industry (B to E) | €63,027 | €59,644 | +€3,383 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €56,725 | €55,693 | +€1,032 |
| Education | €53,500 | €56,249 | €-2,749 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €52,953 | €50,140 | +€2,813 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €50,963 | €50,432 | +€531 |
| Construction | €45,005 | €44,617 | +€388 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €43,986 | €44,053 | €-67 |
| Transportation and Storage | €43,570 | €40,321 | +€3,249 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €36,813 | €36,795 | +€18 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €35,633 | €31,423 | +€4,210 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €25,858 | €26,368 | €-510 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €24,866 | €26,636 | €-1,770 |
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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 Limerick county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Limerick.
Check the widest sector gap in Cork
Information and Communication is one of the strongest differentiators between these counties.
Compare the same sector in Limerick
Use the same sector slice to see where Limerick lands.
Compare Cork with a nearby county
Keep exploring by testing the stronger county against Wicklow.
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