Economy, jobs and prices in La Plata, Argentina: official figures
The unemployment rate in La Plata was 8.7% in the second quarter of 2026 (INDEC EPH), 8th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; it was 6.9% a year earlier, so it is up 1.8 percentage points. The rate for all 31 survey areas was 7.9%.
What is the employment rate in La Plata?
The employment rate in La Plata (employed people as a share of all residents) was 47.0% in the second quarter of 2026, 3rd highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site, against 44.2% a year earlier and 45.0% across the 31 survey areas.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the labour force participation rate in La Plata?
51.5% of residents of La Plata were working or looking for work in the second quarter of 2026 (the activity rate), 2nd highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the year before it was 47.5%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the underemployment rate in La Plata?
In the second quarter of 2026, 19.0% of the labour force in La Plata worked fewer hours than they wanted (underemployment), the highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site, compared with 11.7% a year earlier and 11.5% across the 31 survey areas.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in La Plata work for the government?
In La Plata, 23.0% of employed people were self-employed and 38.4% of employees worked in the public sector in the first quarter of 2026 (INDEC EPH); across the 31 survey areas the shares were 24.2% and 21.9%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many workers in La Plata are looking for another job?
Among employed people in La Plata, 25.5% were also looking for another job in the second quarter of 2026, 3rd highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the average income per person in La Plata?
Mean family income per person in La Plata was 740,962 pesos a month in the first quarter of 2026 (INDEC EPH, current pesos), 12th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site; the mean for all 31 survey areas was 731,516 pesos.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the median income in La Plata?
The median person in La Plata lived in a household with family income of 500,000 pesos per person a month in the first quarter of 2026, 14th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 500,000 pesos).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyWhat is the average wage in La Plata?
Employed people in La Plata who reported earnings made a mean of 973,359 pesos a month from their main job in the first quarter of 2026 (median 800,000 pesos), 15th highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site on the mean; across the 31 survey areas the mean was 1,104,227 pesos.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow unequal are incomes in La Plata?
The richest tenth of residents of La Plata, ranked by family income per person, received 34.8% of all income in the first quarter of 2026, 2nd highest of 30 Argentine cities on this site on income concentration (all 31 survey areas: 33.4%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyIs income in La Plata above the national average?
Mean family income per person in La Plata was 1.01 times the mean for the 31 survey areas in the first quarter of 2026, and the median was 1.00 times the 31-area median.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many homes in La Plata have piped gas?
63.8% of households in La Plata cooked mainly with piped gas in the first quarter of 2026, 14th lowest of 30 Argentine cities on this site (all 31 survey areas: 64.7%).
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow many people in La Plata rent their home?
In La Plata, 68.1% of households owned their home and 18.9% rented it in the first quarter of 2026; the shares for all 31 survey areas were 67.8% and 20.9%.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) · saved copyHow La Plata compares with other cities in Argentina
Unemployment rate (Q2 2026)
La Plata ranks 8 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 9.2% |
| 6 | Corrientes | 9.1% |
| 7 | Rio Gallegos | 8.8% |
| 8 | La Plata | 8.7% |
| 9 | Santa Fé | 8.6% |
| 10 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 8.4% |
| 11 | Buenos Aires | 8.2% |
Employment rate (Q2 2026)
La Plata ranks 3 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Employment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neuquén-Plottier | 48.9% |
| 2 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 47.6% |
| 3 | La Plata | 47.0% |
| 4 | Rosario | 46.9% |
| 5 | San Juan | 46.9% |
| 6 | San Luis - El Chorrillo | 46.9% |
| 7 | Mendoza | 46.2% |
Activity rate (Q2 2026)
La Plata ranks 2 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Activity rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosario | 53.0% |
| 2 | La Plata | 51.5% |
| 3 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 51.1% |
| 4 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 51.0% |
| 5 | Córdoba | 50.9% |
| 6 | Bahía Blanca-Cerri | 50.7% |
| 7 | Neuquén-Plottier | 50.5% |
Underemployment rate (Q2 2026)
La Plata ranks 1 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Underemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Plata | 19.0% |
| 2 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 18.5% |
| 3 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 17.2% |
| 4 | Mendoza | 17.0% |
| 5 | Catamarca | 15.8% |
| 6 | Mar del Plata-Batán | 15.6% |
| 7 | Paraná | 15.6% |
Informal jobs, share of employed (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 17 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Informal jobs, share of employed |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Catamarca | 45.1% |
| 15 | La Rioja | 43.9% |
| 16 | Buenos Aires | 43.0% |
| 17 | La Plata | 42.6% |
| 18 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 41.0% |
| 19 | Rosario | 40.9% |
| 20 | Río Cuarto | 40.8% |
Mean family income per person (pesos a month) (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 12 of 30, highest first. Current pesos, people in households that reported income
| Rank | City | Mean family income per person (pesos a month) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Rosario | 790,314 |
| 10 | Buenos Aires | 785,312 |
| 11 | Comodoro Rivadavia-Rada Tilly | 741,900 |
| 12 | La Plata | 740,962 |
| 13 | Córdoba | 733,809 |
| 14 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 689,571 |
| 15 | Santa Fé | 641,276 |
Median family income per person (pesos a month) (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 14 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median family income per person (pesos a month) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Córdoba | 553,333 |
| 12 | Buenos Aires | 525,000 |
| 13 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 521,250 |
| 14 | La Plata | 500,000 |
| 15 | Paraná | 477,500 |
| 16 | Santa Fé | 475,000 |
| 17 | Salta | 450,000 |
Mean main-job income of earners (pesos a month) (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 15 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Mean main-job income of earners (pesos a month) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | San Nicolás-Villa Constitución | 1,091,596 |
| 13 | Córdoba | 1,012,153 |
| 14 | Santa Fé | 1,010,445 |
| 15 | La Plata | 973,359 |
| 16 | Salta | 939,311 |
| 17 | Mendoza | 933,774 |
| 18 | Paraná | 931,982 |
Share of income received by the richest tenth (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 2 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Share of income received by the richest tenth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa-Toay | 42.0% |
| 2 | La Plata | 34.8% |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | 34.5% |
| 4 | Catamarca | 33.7% |
| 5 | Rawson-Trelew-Playa Unión | 33.6% |
| 6 | Ushuaia-Río Grande | 33.1% |
| 7 | Formosa | 31.9% |
Households connected to a public sewer (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 26 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households connected to a public sewer |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Buenos Aires | 70.4% |
| 24 | Resistencia | 62.1% |
| 25 | Santa Fé | 58.7% |
| 26 | La Plata | 58.6% |
| 27 | San Juan | 52.8% |
| 28 | Posadas | 52.4% |
| 29 | Santiago del Estero-La Banda | 50.8% |
Households cooking with piped gas (Q1 2026)
La Plata ranks 17 of 30, highest first.
| Rank | City | Households cooking with piped gas |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Rosario | 69.0% |
| 15 | Río Cuarto | 68.0% |
| 16 | Buenos Aires | 67.7% |
| 17 | La Plata | 63.8% |
| 18 | Tucumán-Tafí Viejo | 60.8% |
| 19 | Córdoba | 60.0% |
| 20 | Paraná | 56.9% |
More on La Plata: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · all cities in Argentina
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC): Mercado de trabajo. Tasas e indicadores socioeconómicos (EPH), segundo trimestre de 2026 (Tables 3.2 and 3.3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b0a700bac4db…)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC): Encuesta Permanente de Hogares (EPH): bases de microdatos usuarias, individual y hogar, primer trimestre de 2026 (figures computed with the survey weights), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d9d23945d4b1…)
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