Economy, jobs and prices in Biella (Piedmont, Italy): official figures
GDP per person was 34,700 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2023, 90% of the EU average (98% for Italy); 50th highest of 107 provinces in Italy.
How big is the economy of Biella?
The local economy produced €5.6 billion of output (GDP) in 2023.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Biella?
About 69,300 people worked in Biella in 2023 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the employment rate in Biella?
74.6% of Biella residents aged 20-64 were in work in 2024, 29th highest of 107 provinces; among women the rate was 69.4%.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyWhat is the average income in Biella?
Average disposable household income in Biella was €23,666 per resident in 2023, 31st highest among Italy's 107 provinces.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyWhat is the average salary in Biella?
The average annual gross pay of a private-sector employee in Biella was €24,890 in 2023, 20th highest in Italy (national average €23,630).
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyWhat is the average pension in Biella?
Pensioners in Biella received an average of €22,156 a year in pension income in 2023, compared with €21,737 across Italy.
Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copyWhat is the average declared income in Biella?
134,169 people in Biella filed a personal income tax (IRPEF) return for 2024, declaring an average total income of €26,144, 40th highest of Italy's 107 provinces (national average €25,816).
Source: Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze, Dipartimento delle Finanze · saved copyHow many high earners live in Biella?
4.9% of taxpayers in Biella declared more than €55,000 for 2024 and 0.54% more than €120,000, compared with 5.9% and 0.87% nationally.
Source: Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze, Dipartimento delle Finanze · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Biella?
The largest part of the economy of Biella in 2023 was finance, property and business services, at 31.0% of gross value added, followed by industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (28.7%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Biella?
Industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) made up 28.7% of output in 2023, against 20.3% for Italy.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Biella growing?
Gross value added rose from €4.1 billion in 2015 to €5.1 billion in 2023 in current prices, an increase of 22% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Biella?
Of the 69,300 jobs located in Biella in 2023, 26% in public services, education, health and other services, 26% in industry and 1.3% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Biella?
The number of people working in Biella fell by 1.7% between 2015 and 2023, to 69,300.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- The labour non-participation rate (the unemployed plus people available to work but not looking, as a share of the labour force) in Biella was 6.9% in 2024, below the national figure of 13.3%. Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Among young people aged 15 to 29 in Biella, 44.0% were employed in 2024 and the youth non-participation rate was 14.2% (national figures: 34.4% and 25.7%). Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- Employees in Biella were paid for 84.7% of a full working year (312 days) on average in 2023, a measure of how stable jobs are (78.9% nationally). Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- There were 6.3 fatal or permanently disabling workplace accidents per 10,000 workers in Biella in 2022 (below the national figure of 11.0). Source: Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica) · saved copy
- In 2024, 50% of taxpayers in Biella declared employment income (average €25,292) and 42% declared pension income (average €22,565). Source: Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze, Dipartimento delle Finanze · saved copy
How Biella compares with other provinces in Italy
Disposable household income per person (€) (2023)
Biella ranks 31 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Disposable household income per person (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Bergamo | €23,867 |
| 29 | Pesaro e Urbino | €23,682 |
| 30 | Rimini | €23,671 |
| 31 | Biella | €23,666 |
| 32 | Livorno | €23,645 |
| 33 | Lucca | €23,617 |
| 34 | Treviso | €23,522 |
Average gross annual pay, private-sector employees (€) (2023)
Biella ranks 20 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Average gross annual pay, private-sector employees (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Treviso | €25,358 |
| 18 | Roma | €25,294 |
| 19 | Novara | €25,246 |
| 20 | Biella | €24,890 |
| 21 | Cremona | €24,743 |
| 22 | Pordenone | €24,688 |
| 23 | Alessandria | €24,682 |
Average declared income per taxpayer (€) (2024)
Biella ranks 40 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Average declared income per taxpayer (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Ravenna | €26,351 |
| 38 | Cuneo | €26,194 |
| 39 | Lucca | €26,182 |
| 40 | Biella | €26,144 |
| 41 | Alessandria | €26,116 |
| 42 | Vercelli | €25,961 |
| 43 | Savona | €25,927 |
Employment rate, ages 20-64 (%) (2024)
Biella ranks 29 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Employment rate, ages 20-64 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Modena | 74.9% |
| 27 | Ravenna | 74.9% |
| 28 | Pesaro e Urbino | 74.7% |
| 29 | Biella | 74.6% |
| 30 | Ferrara | 74.6% |
| 31 | Varese | 74.6% |
| 32 | Perugia | 74.5% |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2023)
Biella ranks 20 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Cuneo | 29.7% |
| 18 | Cremona | 29.7% |
| 19 | Alessandria | 29.2% |
| 20 | Biella | 28.7% |
| 21 | Potenza | 28.7% |
| 22 | Gorizia | 27.9% |
| 23 | Prato | 27.8% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2023)
Biella ranks 6 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Imperia | 32.0% |
| 4 | Trieste | 31.8% |
| 5 | Como | 31.2% |
| 6 | Biella | 31.0% |
| 7 | Siena | 30.8% |
| 8 | Torino | 30.7% |
| 9 | Pavia | 30.7% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2023)
Biella ranks 83 of 107, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | Belluno | 16.9% |
| 81 | Lucca | 16.6% |
| 82 | Alessandria | 16.5% |
| 83 | Biella | 16.3% |
| 84 | Bologna | 16.2% |
| 85 | Piacenza | 15.9% |
| 86 | Novara | 15.8% |
More on Biella: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Piedmont · Italy
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…)
- Istat (Istituto Nazionale di Statistica): BES dei territori, edizione 2025: well-being indicators for the 107 provinces and metropolitan cities (Indicatori_per_provincia_sesso_ed.2025.xlsx), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 90f90043ad3d…)
- Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze, Dipartimento delle Finanze: Redditi e principali variabili IRPEF su base comunale, anno d'imposta 2024 (personal income tax returns by municipality), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75cecc95d72b…)
- 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…)
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