Average family income in the A.C. of the Basque Country came to 30,009 euros in 2001, according to Personal and Family Income Statistics prepared by Eustat in collaboration with the Provincial Councils of Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.

Average income for the whole of the families in the A.C. of the Basque Country corresponded to exactly 2.4 times the average personal income. Total family income is generated as an aggregate sum of total personal income of all the members of the same family who are of age of majority and receive some kind of income. As occurs with personal income, Álava is also the province with the highest family income, 31,305 euros, almost 1,300 euros over the average for families in the A.C. of the Basque Country; followed by Gipuzkoa with 30,218 euros, slightly over 200 euros more than the average; and, finally Bizkaia, with 29,549 euros, which represents 460 euros less than the average for family rent in the whole of the Community.

Average family income in the A.C. of the Basque Country grew 18% between 1997 and 2001. By provinces, Álava had the best performance, growing 22%, followed by Bizkaia which increased average personal income by 18%. Gipuzkoa registered 17% growth.

3.6 % of families, one in every 30 families, did not receive any kind of income during 2001

61% of families received a lower income than the average for the A.C. of the Basque Country or did not receive a similar percentage to the percentage in personal income. On the other hand, 9% of families, 69,875 specifically, received income equal to or over twice the average, i.e. slightly over 60,000 euros.

Half the families in the A.C. of the Basque Country received income above 24,400 euros, i.e. 50% of families had a lower income than the 24,400 euros and the other 50% had higher income.

In addition, when the main earner in the family is male, families had average income of 33,048 euros, most of these families being concentrated in the intermediate strata, while in the case of a female earner the average was 23,086 euros and families are concentrated in the lower income strata. In the case of the main earner being male, 62% of families had income equal or below their average and in the case of females the percentage was 61%.

We can therefore speak of a “gender gap" in family income, as there are inequalities with regard to family income depending on whether the main earner is male or female.

The municipality in the A.C. of the Basque Country with the highest average family income is the town of Laukiz in Bizkaia, with 70,992 euros. In Gipuzkoa it is Leinz-Gatzaga, with 45,457 euros and in Álava it is Elburgo, with 41,207 euros. On the other hand, the lowest family income is registered in Lanestosa in Bizkaia, with 18,011 euros, Lapuebla de Labarca in Álava, with 20,141 euros, and Pasaia in Gipuzkoa, with 22,488 euros.

In turn, the interval between the municipality with highest and lowest average family income is more than 52,000 euros. At the top end is Laukiz, with 25,000 euros more than the following town with high family income, and at the lowest level, Lanestosa, with 2,000 euros less than the following town with low family income.

Donostia-San Sebastián is the capital with highest family income, followed by Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao

Donostia-San Sebastián, with 34,225 euros, is the capital with highest family income, followed by Vitoria-Gasteiz, with 32,213 euros, both with higher than average figures. Bilbao, whose family income comes to 29,730 euros, is near the average.

At a district level there are also great differences between the 20 districts that make up the A.C. of the Basque Country. Only 8 obtain higher family income than the Community average, among which the most significant have higher income than 33,000 euros: Estribaciones del Gorbea in Álava (35,459 euros), Alto Deba in Gipuzkoa (35,409 euros) and Plentzia-Mungia in Bizkaia (33,061 euros). On the other hand, the remaining 12 districts have lower than average family income and among them the lowest have income below 26,000 euros: Rioja Alavesa and Montaña Alavesa in Álava, with 23,395 and 23,567 euros respectively and, Encartaciones in Bizkaia, with 25,822 euros.

With regard to the family size, only families with one or two members have family income below the Community average, 14,126 and 24,064 euros, respectively.

With regard to the type of family, logically, polynuclear (with two or more nuclei) and enlarged families (made up of a family nucleus and one or several members) have the highest family income, 47,841 and 39,767 euros of family income, respectively. They are followed by nuclear families with children, whose average family income is 39,367 euros. At some distance are nuclear families without children, with 25,432 euros; compound families (which have no family nucleus and made up of two or more persons), with 24,205 euros; single parent families, with 24.121 euros; and, finally, uniperson families, with average family income of 14,126 euros.