The residents of Vienna are poorer by 3,200 euros than the residents of Lower Austria.
The disposable income of individuals in Vienna is declining compared to the rest of Austria, raising concerns among politicians of the People's Party (ÖVP) in Vienna who are calling for reforms in the city's minimum income policy. According to data from "Statistics Austria", the average disposable income per person in Vienna is €26,200, which is significantly lower than the national average of €28,200, and €3,200 less than the leading state of "Lower Austria".
"Lower Austria" ranks first with €29,400, followed by "Salzburg" (€29,000), and "Vorarlberg" and "Burgenland" (€28,900), then "Upper Austria" (€28,600), and "Styria" (€28,300), and "Tyrol" (€28,200), and "Carinthia" (€27,800). Vienna, which ranks last, lags significantly behind the other federal states in terms of disposable income.
Vienna has gradually fallen in ranking over the years. In 2000, the capital was at the top among the federal states in terms of disposable income, and it remained so until 2009. Since then, its position has continuously deteriorated, and since 2016 it has been ranked last in the country.
According to "Markus Vogl", the executive director of the People's Party in Vienna, and "Manfred Jurajka", the party's spokesperson for financial affairs, the main reason for Vienna's poor performance is the large number of unemployed and minimum income recipients in the city. Both believe that this has had a significant impact on the average levels of disposable income.
The People's Party in Vienna calls for a change in policies, criticizing what is known as the "Viennese approach" that relies heavily on social transfers. The party demands stronger measures to stimulate economic growth and adjust the level of social benefits to achieve fairness, with the aim of making Vienna an attractive location for business and employment again.