Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt: population, economy and official figures

Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt is a district (Kreis) in Hesse, Germany. Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt had 197,230 residents on 1 January 2025, 3.1% of Hesse and 0.24% of Germany; 147th largest of 400 districts in Germany.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt: GDP per person was 60,000 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 156% of the EU average (117% for Germany); 46th highest of 400 districts in Germany.
• Health in Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2024, the city of Kassel had 23.3 doctors per 10,000 residents, compared with 13.1 in the median German district, which ranks it 24th highest of 400 districts. It was 22.1 in 2019.
• Education in Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt: The share of school leavers without even a lower secondary certificate (Hauptschulabschluss) in the city of Kassel was 8.8% in 2023, 112th highest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 7.0%. That is up from 6.1% in 2019.
• Poverty and living standards in Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt: The share of residents under 65 living on basic income support (Bürgergeld, formerly Hartz IV) in the city of Kassel was 15.3% in 2023, 17th highest of 400 districts in Germany; the median district stood at 6.5%. That is up from 14.4% in 2019.
• Government budget and revenue in Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt: In 2023, the city of Kassel recorded a tax revenue of its municipalities per resident of €1,748, compared with €1,446 in the median German district, which ranks it 81st highest of 400 districts. That is up from €1,467 in 2019.

Figures come from Germany's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.

Other districts in Hesse

• Frankfurt am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt 756,021
• Main-Kinzig-Kreis 420,914
• Offenbach, Landkreis 358,022
• Wetteraukreis 311,593
• Darmstadt-Dieburg 302,021
• Wiesbaden, Kreisfreie Stadt 288,850
• Bergstraße 274,169
• Gießen, Landkreis 268,418
• Groß-Gerau 268,310
• Lahn-Dill-Kreis 254,074
• Marburg-Biedenkopf 242,805
• Hochtaunuskreis 241,664
• Main-Taunus-Kreis 238,775
• Kassel, Landkreis 231,073
• Fulda 222,283
• Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis 185,651
• Schwalm-Eder-Kreis 180,071
• Limburg-Weilburg 173,830
• Darmstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt 167,029
• Waldeck-Frankenberg 155,126
• Offenbach am Main, Kreisfreie Stadt 132,746
• Hersfeld-Rotenburg 117,414
• Vogelsbergkreis 101,163
• Werra-Meißner-Kreis 97,695
• Odenwaldkreis 93,846

Up a level: Hesse · all regions of Germany · how local power works in Germany

Sources

• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_d3dens: Population density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b59fe9d121…)
• 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 demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_fagec3: Live births (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cfda9b5f4ebd…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset reg_area3: Area, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75302b0aafe9…)
• 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…)
• Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)
• 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…)

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