Economy, jobs and prices in Oulu, Finland: official figures
Half of the residents of Oulu lived in households with a disposable income of less than €29,772 per consumption unit in 2024 (4th highest among the nine largest cities; Finland €30,523), down 1% from €30,046 in 2019.
How much do people earn in Oulu?
Adults in Oulu had a median personal disposable income of €26,165 in 2024, below the national figure of €26,605.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow many entrepreneurs are there in Oulu?
In 2024, 7.2% of working people in Oulu were self-employed, the lowest among the nine largest cities (Finland 10.1%).
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyAre there enough jobs in Oulu?
Oulu had a workplace self-sufficiency of 104.7% in 2023, meaning jobs located there equalled 104.7% of its employed residents; that is 3rd lowest among the nine largest cities.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyWhat is the dependency ratio in Oulu?
Oulu had an economic dependency ratio of 128 in 2024: 128 people outside employment for every 100 in work, below the national figure of 133; that is 4th highest among the nine largest cities, down from 133 in 2019.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyAre jobs growing in Oulu?
Between 2018 and 2023, jobs in Oulu changed by +7.3%, above the national figure of +1.8%; that ranks 3rd highest among the nine largest cities.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow many tech jobs are there in Oulu?
The information sector provided 12.2% of jobs in Oulu in 2023, above the national figure of 7.5%; that is 4th highest among the nine largest cities.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyWhat are the main industries in Oulu?
Factories and other manufacturing employers provided 10.6% of jobs in Oulu in 2023 (4th highest among the nine largest cities).
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow many people work in tourism in Oulu?
Hotels, restaurants and other accommodation and food services employed 3.0% of the workforce in Oulu in 2023, below the national figure of 3.6%.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Oulu?
At the end of 2024, 13.5% of the labour force of Oulu was unemployed according to Statistics Finland's employment register, up from 11.7% in 2019.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyHow many people commute in Oulu?
In 2023, 13.5% of working people living in the city of Oulu commuted to a job in another municipality.
Source: Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Oulu?
The unemployment rate in Oulu was 13.5% in 2024 (11.3% for women, 15.6% for men).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat are the main jobs in Oulu?
96,849 jobs were based in Oulu in 2024; the biggest employers were public administration, education and health (35% of jobs) and trade, transport, hotels and restaurants (17%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people commute to Oulu?
15,019 people commuted into Oulu for work in 2018 and 11,208 commuted out.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many tourists visit Oulu?
Tourist accommodation in Oulu recorded 478,789 nights in 2020, 14% by visitors from abroad.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many cars are there in Oulu?
There were 409 registered cars per 1,000 residents in 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 55% of residents of Oulu were satisfied with public transport. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 32% of residents of Oulu agreed that it is easy to find a good job in the city. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Oulu compares with other cities in Finland
Median disposable income per consumption unit (€ a year) (2024)
Oulu ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median disposable income per consumption unit (€ a year) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espoo | €36,236 |
| 2 | Helsinki | €33,525 |
| 3 | Vantaa | €31,322 |
| 4 | Oulu | €29,772 |
| 5 | Kuopio | €29,532 |
| 6 | Tampere | €29,082 |
| 7 | Jyvaskyla | €28,603 |
Median personal disposable income of adults (€ a year) (2024)
Oulu ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Median personal disposable income of adults (€ a year) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espoo | €31,349 |
| 2 | Helsinki | €29,602 |
| 3 | Vantaa | €28,085 |
| 4 | Oulu | €26,165 |
| 5 | Kuopio | €25,571 |
| 6 | Tampere | €25,295 |
| 7 | Jyvaskyla | €24,910 |
Entrepreneurs as a share of employed people (%) (2024)
Oulu ranks 9 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Entrepreneurs as a share of employed people (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Vantaa | 8.7% |
| 4 | Lahti | 8.7% |
| 5 | Kuopio | 8.5% |
| 6 | Turku | 8.1% |
| 7 | Jyvaskyla | 8.1% |
| 8 | Tampere | 7.9% |
| 9 | Oulu | 7.2% |
Workplace self-sufficiency (jobs per employed resident, %) (2023)
Oulu ranks 7 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Workplace self-sufficiency (jobs per employed resident, %) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Tampere | 118.6% |
| 4 | Vantaa | 108.3% |
| 5 | Jyvaskyla | 106.1% |
| 6 | Lahti | 106.0% |
| 7 | Oulu | 104.7% |
| 8 | Kuopio | 103.0% |
| 9 | Espoo | 92.3% |
Economic dependency ratio (non-employed per 100 employed) (2024)
Oulu ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Economic dependency ratio (non-employed per 100 employed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lahti | 152 |
| 2 | Jyvaskyla | 137 |
| 3 | Kuopio | 132 |
| 4 | Oulu | 128 |
| 5 | Turku | 127 |
| 6 | Tampere | 121 |
| 7 | Vantaa | 115 |
Change in the number of jobs over five years (%) (2023)
Oulu ranks 3 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Change in the number of jobs over five years (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espoo | +11.5% |
| 2 | Tampere | +8.1% |
| 3 | Oulu | +7.3% |
| 4 | Turku | +5.8% |
| 5 | Helsinki | +5.3% |
| 6 | Vantaa | +5.2% |
| 7 | Kuopio | +4.6% |
Share of jobs in the information sector (%) (2023)
Oulu ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Share of jobs in the information sector (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Espoo | 18.6% |
| 2 | Helsinki | 15.2% |
| 3 | Tampere | 12.7% |
| 4 | Oulu | 12.2% |
| 5 | Jyvaskyla | 8.7% |
| 6 | Turku | 7.7% |
| 7 | Kuopio | 7.3% |
Share of jobs in manufacturing (%) (2023)
Oulu ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Share of jobs in manufacturing (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lahti | 15.1% |
| 2 | Tampere | 11.8% |
| 3 | Vantaa | 10.9% |
| 4 | Oulu | 10.6% |
| 5 | Turku | 10.3% |
| 6 | Espoo | 9.9% |
| 7 | Jyvaskyla | 8.6% |
Unemployment rate (2024)
Oulu ranks 4 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lahti | 15.8% |
| 2 | Jyvaskyla | 15.1% |
| 3 | Turku | 13.9% |
| 4 | Oulu | 13.5% |
| 5 | Vantaa | 13.1% |
| 6 | Tampere | 13.1% |
| 7 | Kuopio | 12.2% |
Cars per 1,000 residents (2025)
Oulu ranks 3 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Cars per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuopio | 418 |
| 2 | Lahti | 417 |
| 3 | Oulu | 409 |
| 4 | Jyvaskyla | 404 |
| 5 | Turku | 360 |
| 6 | Vantaa | 351 |
| 7 | Espoo | 346 |
Tourist nights (2020)
Oulu ranks 4 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | City | Tourist nights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 1,616,635 |
| 2 | Tampere | 741,296 |
| 3 | Turku | 539,352 |
| 4 | Oulu | 478,789 |
| 5 | Vantaa | 475,598 |
| 6 | Kuopio | 408,692 |
| 7 | Jyvaskyla | 320,906 |
More on Oulu: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · all cities in Finland
Sources
- Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus): Regional time series 1987-2025 (table 142h, Municipal key figures database): population, housing, education, employment and jobs by NUTS region, region and municipality (PxWeb API POST query, json-stat2, years 2015-2025), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 18a97e220312…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctour: Urban Audit: culture and tourism (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 235d13e6125c…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clma: Urban Audit: labour market (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 be050965f9c6…)
- Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus): Income level, income inequality, population at risk of poverty or dependent on basic social security by region (table 14ww, Income distribution statistics), 2015-2024 (PxWeb API POST query, json-stat2), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4dd1f64e4da5…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctran: Urban Audit: transport (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c4e74aa07496…)
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