Economy, jobs and prices in Hérault (Occitanie, France): official figures
GDP per person was 34,100 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 85% of the EU average (98% for France); 32nd highest of 101 departments in France.
How big is the economy of Hérault?
The local economy produced €46.2 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Hérault?
About 522,300 people worked in Hérault in 2024 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median income in Hérault?
Half of the people living in Hérault had a disposable income (living standard) below €24,280 a year per consumption unit in 2023, 6.3% below the metropolitan France median of €25,920; it ranked 24th lowest of 97 departements.
Source: INSEE · saved copyHow unequal are incomes in Hérault?
The poorest tenth of the population of Hérault lived on less than €11,790 a year in 2023, while the richest tenth had more than €43,690, so the top threshold was 3.7 times the bottom one (metropolitan France: 3.5).
Source: INSEE · saved copyWhere does household income come from in Hérault?
Wages and salaries made up 58.0% of household disposable income in Hérault in 2023 (7.0 points lower than the metropolitan average of 65.0%), and self-employment income a further 6.3%.
Source: INSEE · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Hérault?
The largest part of the economy of Hérault in 2024 was finance, property and business services, at 33.6% of gross value added, followed by public administration, education, health and other services (29.1%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Hérault?
Factories, mines and energy produced 9.9% of the value added in Hérault in 2024, against 13.7% for France.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Hérault growing?
Gross value added rose from €29.1 billion in 2015 to €41.2 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 41% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Hérault?
Of the 522,300 jobs located in Hérault in 2024, 39% in public services, education, health and other services, 5% in industry and 2.1% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Hérault?
The number of people working in Hérault rose by 20.4% between 2015 and 2024, to 522,300.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Income inequality in Hérault, measured by the Gini index of living standards, was 0.298 in 2023, 16th most unequal of 97 departements (metropolitan France: 0.297). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Pensions and annuities supplied 29.6% of disposable income in Hérault in 2023, 38th lowest of 97 departements (metropolitan France: 27.2%). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Income from savings, property and other assets accounted for 12.3% of household income in Hérault in 2023, while direct taxes took the equivalent of 15.7% (metropolitan France: 12.2% and 16.7%). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Unemployment benefits represented 3.1% of disposable income in Hérault in 2023, compared with 2.4% across metropolitan France. Source: INSEE · saved copy
How Hérault compares with other departments in France
Median living standard (euros a year per consumption unit) (2023)
Hérault ranks 74 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Median living standard (euros a year per consumption unit) |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | Tarn-et-Garonne | €24,350 |
| 72 | Vosges | €24,320 |
| 73 | Hautes-Pyrénées | €24,320 |
| 74 | Hérault | €24,280 |
| 75 | Lozère | €24,270 |
| 76 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | €24,240 |
| 77 | Somme | €24,200 |
Gini index of living standards (2023)
Hérault ranks 16 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Gini index of living standards |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Seine-Saint-Denis | 0.310 |
| 14 | Haut-Rhin | 0.307 |
| 15 | Var | 0.305 |
| 16 | Hérault | 0.298 |
| 17 | Val-d'Oise | 0.293 |
| 18 | Moselle | 0.291 |
| 19 | Marne | 0.289 |
Pensions as a share of disposable income (%) (2023)
Hérault ranks 60 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Pensions as a share of disposable income (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 57 | Loire | 29.8% |
| 58 | Corse-du-Sud | 29.7% |
| 59 | Mayenne | 29.6% |
| 60 | Hérault | 29.6% |
| 61 | Côte-d’Or | 29.5% |
| 62 | Eure | 29.3% |
| 63 | Seine-Maritime | 29.2% |
Wages as a share of disposable income (%) (2023)
Hérault ranks 52 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Wages as a share of disposable income (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Corse-du-Sud | 58.6% |
| 50 | Meurthe-et-Moselle | 58.5% |
| 51 | Loir-et-Cher | 58.0% |
| 52 | Hérault | 58.0% |
| 53 | Vaucluse | 57.5% |
| 54 | Vendée | 57.5% |
| 55 | Manche | 57.5% |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Hérault ranks 85 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 82 | Guadeloupe | 10.5% |
| 83 | Charente-Maritime | 10.0% |
| 84 | Hauts-de-Seine | 10.0% |
| 85 | Hérault | 9.9% |
| 86 | Essonne | 9.6% |
| 87 | Lozère | 9.6% |
| 88 | Martinique | 9.4% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Hérault ranks 11 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Pyrénées-Orientales | 35.6% |
| 9 | Rhône | 34.8% |
| 10 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 34.8% |
| 11 | Hérault | 33.6% |
| 12 | Isère | 33.3% |
| 13 | Loire-Atlantique | 33.2% |
| 14 | Gard | 33.1% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Hérault ranks 34 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Territoire de Belfort | 29.6% |
| 32 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 29.5% |
| 33 | Calvados | 29.4% |
| 34 | Hérault | 29.1% |
| 35 | Yonne | 29.1% |
| 36 | Indre | 29.1% |
| 37 | Bouches-du-Rhône | 28.9% |
More on Hérault: overview · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Occitanie · France
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
- INSEE: Indicateurs sur les revenus et la pauvreté au niveau local en 2023 (Filosofi 2023, base FILOSOFI_CC), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f3822a78e3f5…)
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