County comparison · Ireland
Dublin vs Waterford
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Dublin pays 16% more than Waterford · €49,224 vs €42,460
Dublin has the higher median salary at €49,224 per year, against €42,460 in Waterford — a gap of 16%. Looking at the longer trend, Dublin has grown faster, at +2.5% per year on average. Information and Communication is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €36,434.
Growth Comparison
+2.5%
Dublin annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.2%
Waterford annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Dublin
Waterford
Dublin Gender Pay Gap
18%
Waterford Gender Pay Gap
20%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Dublin | Waterford | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €93,922 | €57,488 | +€36,434 |
| Industry (B to E) | €58,175 | €54,721 | +€3,454 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €69,042 | €43,766 | +€25,276 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €58,423 | €54,179 | +€4,244 |
| Education | €51,637 | €55,086 | €-3,449 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €58,846 | €44,094 | +€14,752 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €47,164 | €43,923 | +€3,241 |
| Construction | €48,566 | €41,600 | +€6,966 |
| Transportation and Storage | €47,042 | €40,080 | +€6,962 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €38,888 | €31,600 | +€7,288 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €35,599 | €29,793 | +€5,806 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €32,868 | €26,142 | +€6,726 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €28,913 | €23,381 | +€5,532 |
Next Step
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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 Dublin county page
See the sector table, gender split, and age breakdown for Dublin.
Open the full Waterford county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Waterford.
Check the widest sector gap in Dublin
Information and Communication is one of the strongest differentiators between these counties.
Compare the same sector in Waterford
Use the same sector slice to see where Waterford lands.
Compare Dublin with a nearby county
Keep exploring by testing the stronger county against Kildare.
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