County comparison · Ireland
Galway vs Waterford
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Galway pays 4% more than Waterford · €43,995 vs €42,460
Galway has the higher median salary at €43,995 per year, against €42,460 in Waterford — a gap of 4%. Looking at the longer trend, Galway has grown faster, at +2.4% per year on average. Information and Communication is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €13,068.
Growth Comparison
+2.4%
Galway annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.2%
Waterford annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Galway
Waterford
Galway Gender Pay Gap
12%
Waterford Gender Pay Gap
20%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Galway | Waterford | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €70,556 | €57,488 | +€13,068 |
| Education | €59,410 | €55,086 | +€4,324 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €54,987 | €54,179 | +€808 |
| Industry (B to E) | €45,154 | €54,721 | €-9,567 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €47,835 | €44,094 | +€3,741 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €47,978 | €43,766 | +€4,212 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €45,493 | €43,923 | +€1,570 |
| Construction | €43,962 | €41,600 | +€2,362 |
| Transportation and Storage | €39,555 | €40,080 | €-525 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €35,389 | €31,600 | +€3,789 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €33,557 | €29,793 | +€3,764 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €26,795 | €26,142 | +€653 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €27,265 | €23,381 | +€3,884 |
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 Galway county page
See the sector table, gender split, and age breakdown for Galway.
Open the full Waterford county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Waterford.
Check the widest sector gap in Galway
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 Galway with a nearby county
Keep exploring by testing the stronger county against Clare.
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