The distribution of annual gross income reveals disparities between rural and urban regions. Kauniainen, near Helsinki, has by far the highest income (€139,000) and share of university-educated people (48%). It is a small town with the lowest local tax rate and can therefore be treated as a statistical outlier1. Besides, the region around Helsinki has the highest income (€70,000–€80,000), followed by Turku, Vaasa, Tampere and the region around Oulu (€60,000–€70,000). In contrast, the lowest income can be found in rural inland areas and the peripheral regions in the east (€39,000–€45,000).
The distribution of the development of annual gross income reveals disparities between rural and urban regions. A high increase can be found in and around urban regions which are characterised by a high income level like Helsinki (+€4,805), Turku, Tampere, Jyväskylä and Oulu but also in Lapland (e. g. Muonio +€5,460). By contrast, the regions in and around Vaasa (+€451) which are also characterised by a high income level have much lower increase or even a decrease (e. g. Maalahti, south of Vaasa: -€421). Further regions with a lower income increase or decrease are located in rural inland regions and the peripheral areas in the east.
The distribution of the number of employees in the social welfare and health care sector shows disparities between rural and urban regions. Many inland and rural municipalities have a higher share of employees in the health sector (e.g. Pieksämäki (1,118), Kemijärvi (725)) due to a higher average age of the population with a higher demand of social and health care services. Besides, larger cities like Helsikini, Turku and Tampere have a high number of employees in this sector which is probably related to more specialised health services. This indicates a geographic hierarchy of healthcare services.
High home loans have diverged regionally over the past decade, particularly between the Helsinki metropolitan area, other urban centres and the rest of the country1. The highest values can be found in dynamic centres where housing is more expensive and subject to greater demand pressure (e.g. Espoo (155,000), Helsinki (145,700)) – these disparities are a “consequence of urbanisation“2. The majority of households (approximately 64%) are home owners which leads to a socially unjust lack of affordable housing in growth centres and therefore to a bottleneck for employment and economic growth.
The distribution of disposable cash income of household-dwelling units reveals distinct disparities between rural and urban regions and between cities. The highest values (e.g. Liminka, south of Oulu: €48,919) can be found in the surrounding municipalities around larger cities like Helsinki (€34,145), Oulu (€31,096), Vaasa (€30,525), Tampere (€28,140) and Turku (€27,299) while the values in the cities are (far) below the average. Besides, low values can be found in rural inland areas and peripheral regions in the east (lowest in Rautavaara, eastern inland: €25,391).
The distribution of the change of disposable cash income shows no clear spatial pattern. A high increase can be found in Lapland (e. g. Inari: €2,190), the region of Oulu (e. g. Liminka: €1,773) and in parts of western Finland and in Helsinki (€1,735). A lower increase as well as decreases can be found for example in parts of the southeastern border regions, in regions around Helsinki and around Vaasa.
The geographic pattern of rental prices is quite similar to that of home loans: the Helsinki metropolitan area and other urban centres subject to greater demand pressure are characterised by high rents (e.g. Vaasa, Tampere, Turku, Oulu) and stand out from the rest of the country. This development is a “consequence of urbanisation“ and comes along with social injustice which is a bottleneck for employment and economic growth.
1https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kauniainen
2https://www.bofbulletin.fi/en/2018/2/wide-regional-disparities-in-finnish-house-prices-and-household-indebtedness/