Economy, jobs and prices in Groningen, Netherlands: official figures
Households in Groningen had on average €49,300 a year to spend after tax and benefits in 2024 (2nd lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here; national average €61,600), up 28% from €38,400 in 2019.
What is the average income per person in Groningen?
Adjusted for household size, average standardised income in Groningen was €37,100 in 2024, against €42,700 nationally (3rd lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the median household wealth in Groningen?
Median household wealth in Groningen, including the home minus the mortgage, was €31,700 in 2024; 6th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many jobs are there in Groningen?
Groningen had 93.1 employee jobs for every 100 residents aged 15 to 64 in 2024, 13th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 78.4).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many businesses are there in Groningen?
There were 133.1 business establishments per 1,000 residents in Groningen in 2026, below the national figure of 144.1, up from 108.2 in 2020; that is 13th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat are the main industries in Groningen?
Commercial services such as trade, transport, hospitality and business services accounted for 43.0% of employee jobs in Groningen in 2024, below the national figure of 51.0%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much do renters earn in Groningen?
Households renting their home in Groningen had an average disposable income of €32,900 in 2024, compared with €71,100 for owner-occupiers.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Groningen?
The unemployment rate in Groningen was 5.7% in 2024 (5.3% for women, 6.1% for men).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat are the main jobs in Groningen?
164,600 jobs were based in Groningen in 2024; the biggest employers were public administration, education and health (47% of jobs) and trade, transport, hotels and restaurants (18%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many tourists visit Groningen?
Tourist accommodation in Groningen recorded 1,908,657 nights in 2019, 15% by visitors from abroad.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many cars are there in Groningen?
There were 410 registered cars per 1,000 residents in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 75% of people in Groningen were satisfied with public transport (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- 35% of people in Groningen agreed that it is easy to find a good job in the city (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Groningen compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average disposable income per household (€) (2024)
Groningen ranks 30 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average disposable income per household (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Nijmegen | €52,700 |
| 26 | Maastricht | €52,700 |
| 27 | Enschede | €52,600 |
| 28 | Arnhem | €52,100 |
| 29 | Leeuwarden | €50,400 |
| 30 | Groningen | €49,300 |
| 31 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | €46,000 |
Average standardised income (€, adjusted for household size) (2024)
Groningen ranks 29 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average standardised income (€, adjusted for household size) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Nijmegen | €38,600 |
| 26 | Sittard-Geleen | €38,200 |
| 27 | Arnhem | €37,900 |
| 28 | Enschede | €37,200 |
| 29 | Groningen | €37,100 |
| 30 | Leeuwarden | €36,600 |
| 31 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | €34,300 |
Median household wealth (€) (2024)
Groningen ranks 26 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Median household wealth (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Utrecht | €48,000 |
| 24 | Maastricht | €41,800 |
| 25 | Nijmegen | €38,400 |
| 26 | Groningen | €31,700 |
| 27 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | €31,500 |
| 28 | Arnhem | €30,700 |
| 29 | s-Gravenhage | €29,500 |
Employee jobs per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2024)
Groningen ranks 13 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Employee jobs per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Arnhem | 96.5 |
| 11 | Breda | 95.7 |
| 12 | Maastricht | 94.5 |
| 13 | Groningen | 93.1 |
| 14 | Rotterdam | 91.2 |
| 15 | Leeuwarden | 88.4 |
| 16 | Tilburg | 88.2 |
Business establishments per 1,000 residents (2026)
Groningen ranks 19 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Business establishments per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Zwolle | 136.0 |
| 17 | Leiden | 135.5 |
| 18 | Alphen aan den | 134.6 |
| 19 | Groningen | 133.1 |
| 20 | Apeldoorn | 132.8 |
| 21 | Nijmegen | 132.7 |
| 22 | Deventer | 127.9 |
Unemployment rate (2024)
Groningen ranks 1 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Groningen | 5.7% |
| 2 | s-Gravenhage | 5.3% |
| 3 | Nijmegen | 5.3% |
| 4 | Leeuwarden | 5.0% |
| 5 | Enschede | 4.9% |
| 6 | Amsterdam | 4.8% |
| 7 | Sittard-Geleen | 4.6% |
Cars per 1,000 residents (2024)
Groningen ranks 23 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Cars per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Haarlem | 435 |
| 21 | Arnhem | 425 |
| 22 | Rotterdam | 414 |
| 23 | Groningen | 410 |
| 24 | Nijmegen | 389 |
| 25 | Leiden | 373 |
| 26 | Maastricht | 372 |
Tourist nights (2019)
Groningen ranks 2 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | City | Tourist nights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s-Gravenhage | 17,754,788 |
| 2 | Groningen | 1,908,657 |
| 3 | Nijmegen | 1,052,948 |
| 4 | Apeldoorn | 826,888 |
| 5 | Almere | 391,654 |
| 6 | Arnhem | 344,427 |
| 7 | Enschede | 315,276 |
More on Groningen: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctour: Urban Audit: culture and tourism (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 235d13e6125c…)
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_clma: Urban Audit: labour market (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 be050965f9c6…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ctran: Urban Audit: transport (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c4e74aa07496…)
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