Analysis Of Income Disparity Of Farmer Households

The purpose of the analysis is an attempt to assess the income disparity of farmers compared to other socio-professional groups in light of the latest available data and an assessment on how administrative division impacts income disparity size. The analysis was performed using data gathered by the Household Budget Survey from 2017, availing for that purpose the statistics of disposable income per household and converting it to a per capita figure. Among socio-professional groups, the following households were distinguished: farmers, entrepreneurs, employees, pensioners and other earners earning income from other sources. The results of the analysis have given evidence of existing income disparity of farmer households with respect to other households. By comparing households of farmers and entrepreneurs, the greatest disparities can be observed in average disposable income to the detriment of farmers and employee incomes are located between these types of households. The highest income levels of farmers in comparison with entrepreneurs, employees or households in general, for that matter, are recorded in the Podlaskie, Lubelskie and Lubuskie voivodships. This observation suggests the significant development of the agricultural sector or slow overall economic development, which generates low revenue for individuals making their living as employees or entrepreneurs. Higher disposable income level households of entrepreneurs and employees tend to be characteristic of territories with significant urban areas, i.e. the Mazowieckie voivodship or Małopolska region. In these areas, income levels earned from work or entrepreneurship are substantially higher than those acquired from farming.