Economy, jobs and prices in Rotterdam, Netherlands: official figures
The average disposable income of a household in Rotterdam was €53,300 in 2024, below the national figure of €61,600; that is 9th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up 33% from €40,000 in 2019.
What is the average income per person in Rotterdam?
Standardised household income, which corrects for the number of people in a household, averaged €38,700 in Rotterdam in 2024, 10th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the median household wealth in Rotterdam?
The median household in Rotterdam owned net wealth of €15,300 in 2024, below the national figure of €146,800 (the lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many jobs are there in Rotterdam?
With 91.2 employee jobs per 100 working-age residents in 2024, Rotterdam ranked 14th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many businesses are there in Rotterdam?
The municipality of Rotterdam counted 164.5 business locations for every 1,000 inhabitants in 2026 (6th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here), up from 121.4 in 2020.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat are the main industries in Rotterdam?
Commercial services such as trade, transport, hospitality and business services accounted for 54.0% of employee jobs in Rotterdam in 2024, above the national figure of 51.0%.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow much do renters earn in Rotterdam?
Tenants in the municipality of Rotterdam averaged €38,300 of disposable income per household in 2024, against €81,300 for households owning their home.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in Rotterdam?
The unemployment rate in Rotterdam was 4.6% in 2024 (4.7% for women, 4.5% for men).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat are the main jobs in Rotterdam?
692,000 jobs were based in Rotterdam in 2024; the biggest employers were public administration, education and health (31% of jobs) and trade, transport, hotels and restaurants (28%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many cars are there in Rotterdam?
There were 414 registered cars per 1,000 residents in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 87% of residents of Rotterdam were satisfied with public transport. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
- In the EU's 2023 survey of quality of life in European cities, 43% of residents of Rotterdam agreed that it is easy to find a good job in the city. Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How Rotterdam compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Average disposable income per household (€) (2024)
Rotterdam ranks 23 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average disposable income per household (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Leiden | €56,300 |
| 21 | Venlo | €54,800 |
| 22 | Tilburg | €54,400 |
| 23 | Rotterdam | €53,300 |
| 24 | Sittard-Geleen | €53,100 |
| 25 | Nijmegen | €52,700 |
| 26 | Maastricht | €52,700 |
Average standardised income (€, adjusted for household size) (2024)
Rotterdam ranks 22 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average standardised income (€, adjusted for household size) |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Nissewaard | €39,600 |
| 20 | Deventer | €39,500 |
| 21 | Maastricht | €39,000 |
| 22 | Rotterdam | €38,700 |
| 23 | Tilburg | €38,700 |
| 24 | Venlo | €38,700 |
| 25 | Nijmegen | €38,600 |
Median household wealth (€) (2024)
Rotterdam ranks 31 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Median household wealth (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Nijmegen | €38,400 |
| 26 | Groningen | €31,700 |
| 27 | Heerlen-Kerkrade | €31,500 |
| 28 | Arnhem | €30,700 |
| 29 | s-Gravenhage | €29,500 |
| 30 | Amsterdam | €17,900 |
| 31 | Rotterdam | €15,300 |
Employee jobs per 100 residents aged 15 to 64 (2024)
Rotterdam ranks 14 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Breda | 95.7 |
| 12 | Maastricht | 94.5 |
| 13 | Groningen | 93.1 |
| 14 | Rotterdam | 91.2 |
| 15 | Leeuwarden | 88.4 |
| 16 | Tilburg | 88.2 |
| 17 | Sittard-Geleen | 88.2 |
Business establishments per 1,000 residents (2026)
Rotterdam ranks 6 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Business establishments per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Haarlem | 174.8 |
| 4 | Utrecht | 170.2 |
| 5 | s-Hertogenbosch | 165.0 |
| 6 | Rotterdam | 164.5 |
| 7 | Haarlemmermeer | 161.8 |
| 8 | Breda | 159.2 |
| 9 | Amersfoort | 154.7 |
Unemployment rate (2024)
Rotterdam ranks 8 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Enschede | 4.9% |
| 6 | Amsterdam | 4.8% |
| 7 | Sittard-Geleen | 4.6% |
| 8 | Rotterdam | 4.6% |
| 9 | Tilburg | 4.6% |
| 10 | Amersfoort | 4.4% |
| 11 | Utrecht | 4.3% |
Cars per 1,000 residents (2024)
Rotterdam ranks 22 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Cars per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Enschede | 435 |
| 20 | Haarlem | 435 |
| 21 | Arnhem | 425 |
| 22 | Rotterdam | 414 |
| 23 | Groningen | 410 |
| 24 | Nijmegen | 389 |
| 25 | Leiden | 373 |
More on Rotterdam: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- 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…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.