County comparison · Ireland
Laois vs Waterford
Median annual earnings · Source: CSO 2024
Laois pays 2% more than Waterford · €43,230 vs €42,460
Laois has the higher median salary at €43,230 per year, against €42,460 in Waterford — a gap of 2%. Looking at the longer trend, Waterford has grown faster, at +2.2% per year on average — so Waterford is closing the gap over time even though Laois still pays more today. Information and Communication is the sector where the two counties diverge most, with a difference of €11,333.
Growth Comparison
+2%
Laois annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+2.2%
Waterford annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
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Laois
Waterford
Laois Gender Pay Gap
18%
Waterford Gender Pay Gap
20%
Sector-by-Sector Comparison
| Sector | Laois | Waterford | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €68,821 | €57,488 | +€11,333 |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €59,326 | €54,179 | +€5,147 |
| Education | €52,426 | €55,086 | €-2,660 |
| Industry (B to E) | €47,165 | €54,721 | €-7,556 |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €50,681 | €43,766 | +€6,915 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €45,524 | €44,094 | +€1,430 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €43,923 | €43,923 | N/A |
| Construction | €45,421 | €41,600 | +€3,821 |
| Transportation and Storage | €42,753 | €40,080 | +€2,673 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €38,198 | €31,600 | +€6,598 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €31,428 | €29,793 | +€1,635 |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €28,058 | €26,142 | +€1,916 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €23,402 | €23,381 | +€21 |
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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 Laois county page
See the sector table, gender split, and age breakdown for Laois.
Open the full Waterford county page
Jump into the broader county benchmark for Waterford.
Check the widest sector gap in Laois
Information and Communication is one of the strongest differentiators between these counties.
Compare the same sector in Waterford
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Compare Laois with a nearby county
Keep exploring by testing the stronger county against Kilkenny.
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