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United States vs Ireland

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Wage data: 2025 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

United States flagUnited States

Average wage (2025)

$86,977

1-year change
+1.7%
5-year change
+2.1%

Overall price level (2024)

100 (United States = 100)

United States's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 24.1% higher than Ireland's.

Ireland flagIreland

Average wage (2025)

$70,113

1-year change
+1.8%
5-year change
−2.8%

Overall price level (2024)

92.2 (United States = 100)

United States has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 24.1% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years United States shows the stronger change (+2.1% against −2.8%). Overall consumer prices are higher in United States, at 100 against 92.2 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +7.8 index points. Both wage figures are for 2025 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

United StatesIreland
$60,000$65,000$70,000$75,000$80,000$85,000$90,000201520172019202120232025

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

MetricUnited StatesIreland
Latest wage$86,977$70,113
Latest year20252025
1-year change+1.7%+1.8%
5-year change+2.1%−2.8%
10-year change+13.0%+4.6%
Historical peak$86,977$72,356
Peak year20252021
Change from peak0.0%−3.1%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

United States records the higher figure: $86,977 against $70,113, a gap of 24.1%. The gap is clear enough to rank the two, though it says nothing about how the figure is distributed within either economy.

Both figures are for 2025, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

The latest year moved both by a similar amount: +1.7% in United States and +1.8% in Ireland.

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is United States: +2.1% against −2.8%.

This is where the two separate: Ireland's latest year runs against its own five-year direction, while United States's does not. Short-term and medium-term signals agree for one and conflict for the other.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +13.0% for United States and +4.6% for Ireland. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

United States is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Ireland sits 3.1% from its high of 2021. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

The gap has been widening rather than closing over the five-year window: the economy that already reported the higher wage is also the one growing faster.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

CategoryUnited StatesIrelandDifference (USA − IRL)USA vs U.S.IRL vs U.S.
Overall10092.2+7.80.0−7.8
Food10098.1+1.90.0−1.9
Clothing10088.7+11.30.0−11.3
Housing100104−4.00.0+4.0
Health10084.4+15.60.0−15.6
Transport100114−14.00.0+14.0
Recreation10092+8.00.0−8.0
Restaurants & Accommodation100105−5.00.0+5.0

  • Overall

    United States100
    Ireland92.2
    Difference+7.8
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.−7.8

  • Food

    United States100
    Ireland98.1
    Difference+1.9
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.−1.9

  • Clothing

    United States100
    Ireland88.7
    Difference+11.3
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.−11.3

  • Housing

    United States100
    Ireland104
    Difference−4.0
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.+4.0

  • Health

    United States100
    Ireland84.4
    Difference+15.6
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.−15.6

  • Transport

    United States100
    Ireland114
    Difference−14.0
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.+14.0

  • Recreation

    United States100
    Ireland92
    Difference+8.0
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.−8.0

  • Restaurants & Accommodation

    United States100
    Ireland105
    Difference−5.0
    USA vs U.S.0.0
    IRL vs U.S.+5.0

United States and Ireland in Detail

Current Wage Position

United States reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $86,977 for 2025, and Ireland $70,113 for 2025. That puts United States ahead by 24.1%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year United States changed by +1.7% and Ireland by +1.8%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, United States records the larger change at +2.1%, against −2.8% for Ireland. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +13.0% for United States and +4.6% for Ireland. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

United States reached its highest recorded value of $86,977 in 2025, and the latest figure sits 0.0% from that high.

Ireland peaked at $72,356 in 2021, leaving its latest value 3.1% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 100 in United States and 92.2 in Ireland — +7.8 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Health (+15.6) and Transport (−14.0).

Food is where they are nearest, at 100 and 98.1.

Across the categories with data, United States is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.

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Latest data check

May 15, 2025