"Not the Best in Seoul"... Which Region Ranks First for Average Salary Among Office Workers?

Ulsan with Many Large Corporations Has the Highest Income
Jeju Ranks Lowest... 12 Million Won Gap with Ulsan

Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, Ulsan was confirmed as the region with the highest average salary for office workers. On the other hand, Jeju was found to have the lowest salary.

On the 20th, Yang Kyung-sook, a member of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, disclosed the 'Year-end Tax Settlement Report on Earned Income by City and Province' (based on the location of withholding agents) received from the National Tax Service.

According to the data, the average total salary per worker in Ulsan in 2022 was 47.36 million KRW. This was the highest among the 17 cities and provinces, marking the highest for two consecutive years following 2021 (45.01 million KRW).

The total salary amount is the annual earned income minus non-taxable income such as meal allowances, serving as the basis for year-end tax settlements and various deductions.

Seoul ranked second with 46.83 million KRW, followed by Sejong (44.92 million KRW), where many public officials reside, and Gyeonggi (42.81 million KRW). Compared to two years ago, Seoul's salary increased by 5.11 million KRW (12.3%), the largest increase among the 17 cities and provinces.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, Jeju had the lowest average salary per person at 35.7 million KRW. The gap with first-place Ulsan reached 12 million KRW. Jeju also had the lowest salary in 2020 (32.88 million KRW) and 2021 (34.18 million KRW).

Including Jeju, there were 10 cities and provinces with average salaries below 40 million KRW, such as Gangwon (35.77 million KRW), Daegu (35.80 million KRW), Jeonbuk (35.86 million KRW), Busan (36.39 million KRW), Gwangju (36.67 million KRW), and Chungbuk (38.29 million KRW).

Representative Yang emphasized, "For balanced development, efforts should focus on creating quality jobs through establishing regional growth engines and attracting companies," adding, "We must ensure that income disparities between regions do not widen any further."

Meanwhile, among county-level regions nationwide, Jincheon-gun in Chungbuk showed the highest increase rate in average worker salary.

According to the National Tax Statistics Portal (TASIS) on the 19th, among 228 cities, counties, and districts nationwide, the average salary of workers based on Jincheon-gun address increased from 28.10 million KRW at the end of 2016 to 37.02 million KRW at the end of 2022, an increase of 8.92 million KRW. The growth rate was 31.8%, ranking first among county-level regions nationwide and 13th overall.