Salary in Mayo
Based on CSO data · 2024
County Mayo is a largely rural western county with an economy built around agriculture, tourism, and some manufacturing. The county faces challenges around retaining graduates in a competitive labour market, though remote working has driven return migration. Castlebar is the main employment hub for the county.
Earning in Mayo: What the Data Shows
Mayo's salary landscape reflects a predominantly rural western county where agriculture, tourism, and public sector employment form the core of the economy. Castlebar serves as the main employment hub, hosting the county's largest public sector employers including Mayo University Hospital and the county council. These public sector roles provide the county's most stable and predictable salaries, while private sector employment tends toward smaller-scale operations with lower pay.
The county faces a persistent graduate retention challenge. Young professionals who leave for education or early career experience in Dublin, Galway, or abroad often do not return until mid-career, if at all, because the range of high-paying roles available locally is limited. However, remote working has created a meaningful counter-current, enabling some Mayo natives and lifestyle migrants to earn urban salaries while living in the county.
Housing affordability remains one of Mayo's strongest attractions in salary terms. Property prices and rents are well below national averages, meaning that moderate salaries deliver comfortable living standards. The county's salary trajectory is gradually positive, supported by tourism growth, remote worker inflows, and incremental development of the Castlebar-Westport corridor as a regional service centre.
Quick Answers
The current median salary in Mayo is €40,657 and sits 9% below the national median.
The highest-paying local sector is Information and Communication at €59,402, and the gender split is available on the county gender pages.
Use the sector table and age-band links below to move from the county headline into narrower salary pages, or compare Mayo directly with Dublin.
Median Salary
€40,657
per year · CSO 2024
Mean Salary
€47,575
per year · CSO 2024
vs National
N/A
-9% below average
Salary Analysis
+2.4%
Annual growth (CAGR) since 2011
+9%
Real growth (after inflation)
€27,544
After rent (32% of salary on rent)
14%
139%
Sector pay spread (€24,839 – €59,402)
35.1%
Third-level educated (Census 2022)
+5.2%
Population growth 2016–2022
14,755
Live Register (2026 March)
In 2011 prices, today's €40,657 is worth €32,711 — a real increase in purchasing power. CPI data from the CSO.
Compare This County
Most county visitors want a fast second answer: compare Mayo with another county, check the gender split, or jump into the strongest local sector.
Search Another Sector Or County
Use Mayo as the anchor, then pivot into a sector page, a gender split, or another county without restarting your search.
Annual figures: CSO 2024 · National quarterly average (Q4 2025): €52,618 annualised · About our data
Mayo salary trend
Switch between median and mean, or compare this trend against the baseline.
Next Step
Need salary benchmarks with live job-market context?
Salaries.ie shows the public data. If you want current openings, employer demand, and a stronger sense of what roles are actually live in Ireland, use RoleUp alongside the salary pages.
Gender Pay Gap
14%
Women earn €37,520 vs men at €43,414 (median)
Cost of Living
€1,093
Avg monthly rent (2025 H1)
€13,113
Annual rent cost
32%
of median salary on rent
Mayo Profile
137,231
Population (Census 2022)
+5.2%
Growth since 2016
35.1%
Third-level educated
14,755
Live Register (2026 March)
West region
Salaries by Sector in Mayo
| Sector | Median Salary | |
|---|---|---|
| Information and Communication | €59,402 | |
| Education | €58,895 | |
| Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | €52,291 | |
| Industry (B to E) | €46,629 | |
| Financial, Insurance and Real Estate Activities | €44,561 | |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | €43,444 | |
| Construction | €42,500 | |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities | €42,444 | |
| Transportation and Storage | €39,912 | |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities | €35,911 | |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | €29,376 | |
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Service Activities | €25,392 | |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities | €24,839 |
Salary by Age Group in Mayo
30 - 39 years
€45,742
40 - 49 years
€44,800
50 - 59 years
€42,884
25 - 29 years
€39,460
60 years and over
€33,007
15 - 24 years
€22,098
Keep Exploring
Once you know the headline salary in Mayo, the next useful question is usually which sector, age band, or comparison explains that number.
Information and Communication is the top sector here
Information and Communication currently leads Mayo on median pay.
Check another strong sector
Education is another high-signal sector page for Mayo.
Open the top age band
30 - 39 years is the strongest age group for earnings in Mayo.
Review the gender split
Open the female salary view and compare it with the county-wide median.
Compare with Dublin
See how Mayo stacks up against another high-interest county.
Browse the county rankings
Move across the national league table and compare this county with the rest of Ireland.
Want to compare the salary data with real hiring demand?
Use this page as the benchmark, then check live roles to see what is actually being advertised now.
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