Local and regional income differences in Finland in 1989 to 1997 — a GIS approach

Income differentials among the population of Finland began to widen in the latter half of the 1990s, as reflected in a geographical analysis based on 1 × 1 km grid cell data produced by Statistics Finland, where the most densely populated cells are seen to have lower mean income levels than the others, and the spatial differences in income level within the large towns and cities are seen to have increased. The income differentials between grid cells are fairly stable and the majority of the cells can be classified as representing the middle income bracket in terms of incomes subject to state taxation. Accurate geo-referenced data of this kind enable observations to be made concerning income differentials which would remain obscured if only administrative areal units such as local government districts were used.