County comparison · Ireland
Donegal vs Galway
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Galway pays 19% more than Donegal · €43,995 vs €36,967
Galway has the higher median salary at €43,995 per year, against €36,967 in Donegal — a gap of 19%. Looking at the longer trend, Donegal has grown faster, at +2.4% per year on average — so Donegal is closing the gap over time even though Galway still pays more today. Information and Communication is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €21,187.
Growth Comparison
+2.4%
Donegal annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.4%
Galway annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Donegal
Galway
Donegal Gender Pay Gap
8%
Galway Gender Pay Gap
12%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Donegal | Galway | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €49,369 | €70,556 | €-21,187 |
| Education | €55,582 | €59,410 | €-3,828 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €51,423 | €54,987 | €-3,564 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €41,915 | €47,978 | €-6,063 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €43,273 | €45,493 | €-2,220 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €37,881 | €47,835 | €-9,954 |
| Industry (B to E) | €36,333 | €45,154 | €-8,821 |
| Construction | €35,000 | €43,962 | €-8,962 |
| Transportation and Storage | €33,828 | €39,555 | €-5,727 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €30,278 | €35,389 | €-5,111 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €26,325 | €33,557 | €-7,232 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €21,194 | €26,795 | €-5,601 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €20,663 | €27,265 | €-6,602 |
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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 Donegal county page
See the sector table, gender split, and age breakdown for Donegal.
Open the full Galway county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Galway.
Check the widest sector gap in Donegal
Information and Communication 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 Galway with a nearby county
Keep exploring by testing the stronger county against Clare.
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