According to data for 2024 published by the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT), the highest average gross income per tax return in Alicante province was recorded in Sant Joan d’Alacant: €34,669. At the other end of the ranking is Hondón de los Frailes, with €20,156. The difference is €14,513, meaning the average figure in the municipality with the lowest income is about 42% lower.
The province-wide average gross income was €27,727. The figures reveal a marked gap between municipalities: the highest-ranking areas include towns in L’Alacantí, coastal municipalities and industrial centres in the north of the province, while many municipalities in Vega Baja appear near the bottom of the list.
Where incomes are highest in Alicante province
Sant Joan d’Alacant has regained the top spot after Aigües led the previous ranking. In 2024, average gross income per tax return in Sant Joan rose by 8.6%.
The other municipalities in the top five are:
- El Campello — €33,629;
- Mutxamel — €33,302;
- Alicante — €32,264;
- Xàbia — €32,208.
The top ten also includes the industrial town of Banyeres de Mariola, with €31,300; Ibi, with €31,003; Finestrat, with €30,427; Dénia, with €30,253; and l’Alfàs del Pi, with €29,763.
The upper end of the ranking brings together coastal and L’Alacantí municipalities as well as industrial centres in the north of the province. Alcoy also ranks relatively high, with average gross income of €27,836.
The lowest figures are in the south of the province
Among Alicante municipalities with more than 1,000 residents, Hondón de los Frailes recorded the lowest average gross income: €20,156. This was 7.1% higher than the previous year.
The next-lowest figures were recorded in:
- Formentera del Segura — €20,850;
- Algueña — €20,921;
- Granja de Rocamora — €21,938;
- San Fulgencio — €21,946;
- Dolores — €22,171.
Other municipalities in Vega Baja also feature near the bottom of the ranking. Among the province’s larger towns and cities, average gross income per tax return was €26,559 in Elche, €26,523 in Benidorm, €25,412 in Orihuela and €23,863 in Torrevieja.
How rankings can shift in smaller municipalities
One of the most striking changes was in Aigües. After an unusually high figure of around €60,900 in 2023, its average for 2024 fell to €29,434. The municipality now ranks 13th in the province, while remaining above the provincial average.
Rankings for smaller municipalities should be interpreted with care: a relatively small number of tax returns can have a noticeable effect on the average. The figures alone do not explain the reasons for sharp fluctuations.
How Alicante compares with the rest of Spain
In the Valencian Community, the highest average gross income was recorded in Rocafort, at €60,881. Godella followed with €48,848, and San Antonio de Benagéber with €46,781. The lowest figure in the region was recorded in Venta del Moro, in Valencia province: €19,209.
Across Spain, Pozuelo de Alarcón, in Madrid province, ranked first for the sixth consecutive year, with an average of €92,564. Benahavís, in Málaga province, placed second with €79,041, followed by Boadilla del Monte, in Madrid province, with €76,478. The lowest figure was recorded in Guadahortuna, in Granada province: €14,514.
What the AEAT statistics measure
These figures refer to average gross income per tax return, not to residents’ accumulated wealth. The AEAT explains that a tax return may include the income of members of a family tax unit, and the result depends on whether the return was filed individually or jointly. The figure therefore cannot be treated directly as the average personal income of every resident or as average household income.
AEAT ranking of municipalities by average gross income in 2024
