The average declared income in Italy tells a story of deep inequalities. Between the richest and poorest municipality, the gap exceeds 80,000 euros per year. Data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), processed by DatiItalia across all 7,896 municipalities, maps this reality with precision.
The National Picture
The average declared income in Italy is approximately 22,600 euros gross per year. But this average hides staggering extremes: from nearly 100,000 euros in Portofino to less than 7,000 in some Calabrian municipalities. A ratio of 14 to 1 within the same country.
The 20 Municipalities with the Highest Average Income
Average declared income in EUR — MEF data
Regional Distribution
The regional distribution of high-income municipalities confirms the structural divide: Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Lazio dominate the upper part of the ranking. Triveneto and Tuscany complete the picture of the "wealthy North."
In the South, exceptions are few and concentrated in regional capitals: Naples, Bari, Catania, Cagliari. The Southern hinterland shows incomes systematically below 15,000 euros.
Regions of Italy's 50 Richest Municipalities
Which regions host the 50 municipalities with the highest average income
Income Map of Italy
Each municipality colored by average declared income — the wealthiest areas in dark gold
Income vs Housing Costs
Earning well is not enough if housing costs too much. The 3D map crosses two dimensions: height represents average declared income, color represents the sale price per square metre. Tall and dark copper municipalities are those where income is high but property absorbs a huge share of the family budget — Milan, Rome, Florence, the Ligurian Riviera. Tall and teal municipalities are the rare equilibrium: solid incomes and accessible prices, typical of the Emilian and Veneto hinterland. Low and teal is the South: affordable housing but incomes that aren't enough.
Income vs Housing Costs
Height = average income, color = price per m² — where you earn a lot but housing costs more
The North-South Divide in Numbers
The figures are stark:
- North-West: average income ~26,400 EUR
- North-East: ~24,800 EUR
- Centre: ~23,100 EUR
- South: ~17,200 EUR
- Islands: ~16,800 EUR
The gap between the North-West and the Islands is nearly 10,000 euros per year — 57%. But looking at the distribution of taxpayers by bracket, the picture is even more dramatic: in the North 18% declare over 35,000 euros, in the South only 7%. It's not just the average income that's missing — it's the middle class.
Trends
Nominal incomes are rising everywhere, but the inflation of recent years has eroded much of the real gains. Alpine and Emilian municipalities show the most robust real growth (+3-4% annually), while the South stagnates (+0.4%).
The most worrying figure: in Southern municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, average real income has been declining for five years. Depopulation and falling incomes feed each other in a vicious cycle.
Explore income data for every municipality in the Income section of DatiItalia.