REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME PER PERSON BY SOCIAL CATEGORY. THE CASE OF ROMANIA

Household income is a fundamental indicator in assessing the living standards of the population, having a direct impact on the size and structure of consumption. The aim of this paper was to analyze the evolution of interregional disparities in average monthly income per person in households headed by four socio-professional categories: employees, farmers, unemployed and pensioners. The results showed that households headed by employed persons recorded the highest income levels, while those headed by unemployed persons were at the opposite pole. Regional concentration poles were also identified for each category analyzed. The Bucharest-Ilfov region stood out as the main regional pole in the case of households headed by employed, unemployed and retired persons, while for households headed by farmers, this status was held by the Center region. Although territorial disparities were present among all the categories analyzed, the most pronounced differences were found for the unemployed and farmers, highlighting the increased economic vulnerability of these groups in relation to the regional income distribution.