Highest and lowest median income

Analysis: why are some at the top and others at the bottom?

We compared median income after tax with every other municipal figure we have, from Statistics Norway, NIPH and the Brønnøysund Register Centre. Below are the figures that go most closely together with median income after tax across the country, and what marks the municipalities at the top and bottom on those figures.

The pattern across the country

• Municipalities that rank high on «Share aged 0–15» most often also rank high on median income after tax (strong association, rank correlation 0.75 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 11805).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Dwellings built in 2001 or later, share» most often also rank high on median income after tax (strong association, rank correlation 0.65 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 06266).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» most often also rank high on median income after tax (strong association, rank correlation 0.60 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 06913).
• Municipalities that rank high on «Share aged 67 and over» most often rank low on median income after tax (strong association, rank correlation −0.57 across 357 municipalities; Statistics Norway table 11805).

The highest and the lowest

• No. 1 Bjerkreim (842,900 kr) Fits the pattern: «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» 5.85 per 1,000 (no. 8 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06913); «Share aged 0–15» 19.8% (no. 26 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805); «Share aged 67 and over» 16.1% (no. 319 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805). Most distinctive industry: jordbruk og tjenester tilknyttet jordbruk, jakt og viltstell, 23% of the jobs, 17.9 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 2 Sola (838,300 kr) Fits the pattern: «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» 6.38 per 1,000 (no. 5 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06913); «Dwellings built in 2001 or later, share» 43.9% (no. 8 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06266); «Share aged 67 and over» 13.0% (no. 350 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805). Most distinctive industry: tjenester tilknyttet bergverksdrift og utvinning, 33% of the jobs, 26.4 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 3 Bærum (837,100 kr) Fits the pattern: «Share aged 0–15» 19.2% (no. 36 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805); «Share aged 67 and over» 16.7% (no. 305 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805); «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» 2.30 per 1,000 (no. 60 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06913). Most distinctive industry: arkitektvirksomhet og teknisk konsulentvirksomhet, og teknisk prøving og analyse, 7% of the jobs, 3.4 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 357 Gamvik (503,600 kr, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Dwellings built in 2001 or later, share» 2.2% (no. 355 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06266); «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» −14.27 per 1,000 (no. 353 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06913); «Share aged 0–15» 12.3% (no. 339 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 30% of the jobs, 37.6 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 356 Moskenes (520,900 kr, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Share aged 0–15» 9.4% (no. 357 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805); «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» −11.35 per 1,000 (no. 348 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06913); «Dwellings built in 2001 or later, share» 7.5% (no. 343 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06266). Most distinctive industry: fiske, fangst og akvakultur, 17% of the jobs, 21.3 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).
• No. 355 Stor-Elvdal (521,800 kr, among the lowest) Fits the pattern: «Share aged 0–15» 11.1% (no. 356 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805); «Natural increase per 1,000 inhabitants» −13.78 per 1,000 (no. 351 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 06913); «Share aged 67 and over» 28.3% (no. 18 of 357 from the top; Statistics Norway table 11805). Most distinctive industry: skogbruk og tjenester tilknyttet skogbruk, 5% of the jobs, 24.3 times the national share (Statistics Norway table 13470, 2025).

The analysis describes what goes together, not what causes what. Two figures can follow each other because both depend on something else, such as size, location or industry. The figures are from the latest year available for each source, so the years can differ. Rank correlation runs from −1 to 1; values near 1 mean the municipalities lie in roughly the same order on both measures.