Economy, jobs and prices in Dresden, Germany: official figures
Dresden's unemployment rate was 6.1% in 2023, 9th lowest of 22 large German cities and 119th highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was 5.7%.
How high is youth unemployment in Dresden?
Dresden's unemployment rate among under-25s was 5.7% in 2023, 9th highest of 22 large German cities and 112th highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was 5.8%.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyHow many long-term unemployed are there in Dresden?
Dresden's share of jobless people unemployed for a year or longer was 32.7% in 2023, 8th lowest of 22 large German cities and 177th highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was 31.2%.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyWhat is the average salary in Dresden?
Dresden's median monthly gross wage of full-time employees was €3,689 in 2023, 2nd lowest of 22 large German cities and 151st highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was €3,200.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyWhat is the gender pay gap in Dresden?
Dresden's median full-time wage of women as a share of men's was 94.3% in 2023, 3rd highest of 22 large German cities and 75th highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was 94.7%.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyWhat is the purchasing power in Dresden?
Dresden's purchasing power per resident was €27,262 in 2023, 2nd lowest of 22 large German cities and 62nd lowest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was €21,975.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyHow many mini-jobs are there in Dresden?
Among 22 large German cities, Dresden had the 2nd lowest share of private-sector jobs that are low-paid 'mini-jobs' in 2023, at 11.9% (median of all 400 districts: 19.7%).
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyHow many people commute to Dresden?
Dresden's commuter balance (net commuters per 100 jobs) was +14.7 in 2023, 8th lowest of 22 large German cities and 71st highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was +15.0.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyHow many businesses go bankrupt in Dresden?
Dresden's number of company insolvency applications per 1,000 businesses was 4.7 in 2023, 3rd lowest of 22 large German cities and 128th highest of 400 districts nationwide. In 2019 it was 4.0.
Source: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Dresden?
The unemployment rate in Dresden was 5.6% in 2024 (4.9% for women, 5.6% for men).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat are the main jobs in Dresden?
344,000 jobs were based in Dresden in 2024; the biggest employers were public administration, education and health (26% of jobs) and trade, transport, hotels and restaurants (17%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people commute to Dresden?
96,205 people commuted into Dresden for work in 2018 and 55,980 commuted out.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many tourists visit Dresden?
Tourist accommodation in Dresden recorded 2,612,918 nights in 2020, 13% by visitors from abroad.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow do people get to work in Dresden?
In 2016, 26% of journeys to work in Dresden were by public transport, 50% by car, 15% by bicycle and 7% on foot.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many cars are there in Dresden?
There were 351 registered cars per 1,000 residents in 2023.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Dresden compares with other cities in Germany
Unemployment rate (% of civilian labour force) – large cities (2023)
Dresden ranks 14 of 22, highest first. INKAR indicator: Anteil der Arbeitslosen an den zivilen Erwerbspersonen in %; kreisfreie Städte with city pages
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate (% of civilian labour force) – large cities |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Mannheim | 7.2% |
| 12 | Düsseldorf | 7.0% |
| 13 | Bonn | 6.8% |
| 14 | Dresden | 6.1% |
| 15 | Nürnberg | 5.9% |
| 16 | Frankfurt am Main | 5.9% |
| 17 | Leipzig | 5.6% |
Median monthly gross wage, full-time employees (€) – large cities (2023)
Dresden ranks 21 of 22, highest first. INKAR indicator: Medianeinkommen der sozialversicherungspflichtig Vollzeitbeschäftigten in Euro; kreisfreie Städte with city pages
| Rank | City | Median monthly gross wage, full-time employees (€) – large cities |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Berlin | €3,982 |
| 17 | Bielefeld | €3,885 |
| 18 | Dortmund | €3,858 |
| 19 | Wuppertal | €3,851 |
| 20 | Bochum | €3,793 |
| 21 | Dresden | €3,689 |
| 22 | Leipzig | €2,994 |
Purchasing power per resident (€ a year) – large cities (2023)
Dresden ranks 21 of 22, highest first. INKAR indicator: Kaufkraft je Einwohner in Euro; kreisfreie Städte with city pages
| Rank | City | Purchasing power per resident (€ a year) – large cities |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Leipzig | €28,503 |
| 17 | Bremen | €28,361 |
| 18 | Dortmund | €28,131 |
| 19 | Berlin | €27,823 |
| 20 | Mannheim | €27,660 |
| 21 | Dresden | €27,262 |
| 22 | Duisburg | €26,129 |
Residents in insured jobs (% of working-age population) – large cities (2023)
Dresden ranks 3 of 22, highest first. INKAR indicator: SV Beschäftigte am Wohnort je 100 Einwohner im erwerbsfähigen Alter in %; kreisfreie Städte with city pages
| Rank | City | Residents in insured jobs (% of working-age population) – large cities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leipzig | 68.9% |
| 2 | München | 68.3% |
| 3 | Dresden | 66.5% |
| 4 | Nürnberg | 66.0% |
| 5 | Hamburg | 64.9% |
| 6 | Augsburg | 64.5% |
| 7 | Düsseldorf | 63.8% |
Journeys to work by public transport (2016)
Dresden ranks 13 of 77, highest first.
| Rank | City | Journeys to work by public transport |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Mainz | 30.0% |
| 11 | Potsdam | 28.0% |
| 12 | Nürnberg | 27.6% |
| 13 | Dresden | 26.2% |
| 14 | Kassel | 25.1% |
| 15 | Freiburg im Breisgau | 24.8% |
| 16 | Bonn | 24.5% |
Cars per 1,000 residents (2023)
Dresden ranks 69 of 77, highest first.
| Rank | City | Cars per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Offenbach am Main | 365 |
| 67 | Jena | 356 |
| 68 | Stuttgart | 353 |
| 69 | Dresden | 351 |
| 70 | München | 346 |
| 71 | Hamburg | 341 |
| 72 | Hannover | 335 |
Tourist nights (2020)
Dresden ranks 5 of 77, highest first.
| Rank | City | Tourist nights |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | München | 7,034,040 |
| 3 | Hamburg | 6,796,976 |
| 4 | Frankfurt am Main | 4,085,447 |
| 5 | Dresden | 2,612,918 |
| 6 | Köln | 2,557,212 |
| 7 | Leipzig | 1,959,147 |
| 8 | Düsseldorf | 1,825,753 |
More on Dresden: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · all cities in Germany
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctour: Urban Audit: culture and tourism (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 235d13e6125c…)
- Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung: INKAR – Indikatoren und Karten zur Raum- und Stadtentwicklung: 43 district (Kreise) indicators, 2012-2024 (table service extract), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c743f54caf6…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clma: Urban Audit: labour market (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 be050965f9c6…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctran: Urban Audit: transport (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c4e74aa07496…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.