Economy, jobs and prices in Sarthe (Pays de la Loire, France): official figures
GDP per person was 29,000 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 73% of the EU average (98% for France); 69th highest of 101 departments in France.
How big is the economy of Sarthe?
The local economy produced €17.9 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Sarthe?
About 231,200 people worked in Sarthe in 2024 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median income in Sarthe?
Half of the people living in Sarthe had a disposable income (living standard) below €24,990 a year per consumption unit in 2023, 3.6% below the metropolitan France median of €25,920; it ranked 46th lowest of 97 departements.
Source: INSEE · saved copyHow unequal are incomes in Sarthe?
The poorest tenth of the population of Sarthe lived on less than €13,930 a year in 2023, while the richest tenth had more than €39,720, so the top threshold was 2.9 times the bottom one (metropolitan France: 3.5).
Source: INSEE · saved copyWhere does household income come from in Sarthe?
Wages and salaries made up 60.7% of household disposable income in Sarthe in 2023 (4.3 points lower than the metropolitan average of 65.0%), and self-employment income a further 4.5%.
Source: INSEE · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Sarthe?
The largest part of the economy of Sarthe in 2024 was finance, property and business services, at 27.7% of gross value added, followed by public administration, education, health and other services (26.7%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Sarthe?
Industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) made up 18.6% of output in 2024, against 13.7% for France.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Sarthe growing?
Gross value added rose from €13.0 billion in 2015 to €16.0 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 22% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Sarthe?
Of the 231,200 jobs located in Sarthe in 2024, 35% in public services, education, health and other services, 16% in industry and 3.5% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Sarthe?
The number of people working in Sarthe rose by 6.4% between 2015 and 2024, to 231,200.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Income inequality in Sarthe, measured by the Gini index of living standards, was 0.241 in 2023, 8th least unequal of 97 departements (metropolitan France: 0.297). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Pensions and annuities supplied 31.7% of disposable income in Sarthe in 2023, 43rd highest of 97 departements (metropolitan France: 27.2%). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Income from savings, property and other assets accounted for 9.7% of household income in Sarthe in 2023, while direct taxes took the equivalent of 13.8% (metropolitan France: 12.2% and 16.7%). Source: INSEE · saved copy
- Unemployment benefits represented 2.0% of disposable income in Sarthe in 2023, compared with 2.4% across metropolitan France. Source: INSEE · saved copy
How Sarthe compares with other departments in France
Median living standard (euros a year per consumption unit) (2023)
Sarthe ranks 52 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Median living standard (euros a year per consumption unit) |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Haute-Loire | €25,140 |
| 50 | Deux-Sèvres | €25,080 |
| 51 | Hautes-Alpes | €25,060 |
| 52 | Sarthe | €24,990 |
| 53 | Saône-et-Loire | €24,970 |
| 54 | Seine-Maritime | €24,940 |
| 55 | Vienne | €24,940 |
Gini index of living standards (2023)
Sarthe ranks 90 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Gini index of living standards |
|---|---|---|
| 87 | Côtes-d’Armor | 0.242 |
| 88 | Maine-et-Loire | 0.241 |
| 89 | Haute-Marne | 0.241 |
| 90 | Sarthe | 0.241 |
| 91 | Cantal | 0.240 |
| 92 | Manche | 0.238 |
| 93 | Haute-Loire | 0.238 |
Pensions as a share of disposable income (%) (2023)
Sarthe ranks 43 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Pensions as a share of disposable income (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Meuse | 32.2% |
| 41 | Haute-Loire | 32.2% |
| 42 | Gard | 32.1% |
| 43 | Sarthe | 31.7% |
| 44 | Jura | 31.5% |
| 45 | Vienne | 31.4% |
| 46 | Calvados | 31.1% |
Wages as a share of disposable income (%) (2023)
Sarthe ranks 41 of 97, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Wages as a share of disposable income (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | Somme | 61.2% |
| 39 | Calvados | 61.2% |
| 40 | Deux-Sèvres | 60.9% |
| 41 | Sarthe | 60.7% |
| 42 | Mayenne | 60.3% |
| 43 | Loire | 60.0% |
| 44 | Vienne | 60.0% |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Sarthe ranks 32 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Bas-Rhin | 19.1% |
| 30 | Indre | 18.9% |
| 31 | Allier | 18.8% |
| 32 | Sarthe | 18.6% |
| 33 | Maine-et-Loire | 18.5% |
| 34 | Aube | 18.5% |
| 35 | Moselle | 18.4% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Sarthe ranks 54 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Moselle | 28.0% |
| 52 | Vendée | 27.9% |
| 53 | Drôme | 27.8% |
| 54 | Sarthe | 27.7% |
| 55 | Eure-et-Loir | 27.6% |
| 56 | Haute-Loire | 27.6% |
| 57 | Bas-Rhin | 27.4% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Sarthe ranks 52 of 101, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Ille-et-Vilaine | 26.8% |
| 50 | Haute-Saône | 26.7% |
| 51 | Finistère | 26.7% |
| 52 | Sarthe | 26.7% |
| 53 | Gironde | 26.7% |
| 54 | Seine-Maritime | 26.6% |
| 55 | Ardèche | 26.6% |
More on Sarthe: overview · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Pays de la Loire · 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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