MANILA, Philippines – An average Filipino family’s income can look vastly different depending on where in the country they live.

Nationwide, average annual family income stood at P411,350 in 2025, or about P34,300 a month, according to preliminary results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES).

But families in some of the country’s wealthiest cities and provinces earned far more. Makati had the highest average annual income among highly urbanized cities (HUCs) at P796,990, while Ilocos Norte led the country’s provinces at P619,240.

Makati’s figure works out to around P66,400 a month, nearly twice the national average. The next four highest HUCs were also all in Metro Manila: San Juan at P735,960, Parañaque at P711,310, Mandaluyong at P676,130, and Quezon City at P648,150.

At the other end was Zamboanga City, where families earned an average P309,610 annually, or about P25,800 a month. Average family income in Makati was more than two-and-a-half times that in Zamboanga City.

The PSA comparison covers HUCs, rather than every city in the Philippines.

Luzon-Mindanao economic divide

The FIES rankings point to a clear concentration of higher family incomes in Luzon, particularly around the country’s main economic centers.

At the regional level, National Capital Region (NCR) led with an average family income of P574,370, followed by Calabarzon at P526,070 and Central Luzon at P447,310. They were the only three regions above the national average of P411,350, further showing how much economic activity and higher-paying jobs cluster in and around Metro Manila. At the other end were the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) at P246,050, the Zamboanga Peninsula at P286,340, and Soccskargen at P292,820.

The provincial rankings show a similar pattern. Ilocos Norte topped all provinces at P619,240, followed by Batanes, Cavite, Rizal, and Batangas. At the other end, the five lowest-income provinces were all in Mindanao, led by Maguindanao del Sur at just P177,750. Ilocos Norte’s average was nearly three-and-a-half times as high.

Ilocos Norte’s place at the top is striking because it sits outside the Luzon Economic Corridor. One clue may be where families in the province get their income. PSA data show they rely less on salaries and more on overseas remittances and business income than the national average. Wages accounted for just 39.8% of family income in Ilocos Norte in 2025, while cash receipts from abroad made up 20.2% and entrepreneurial activities another 19.1%. Nationally, wages accounted for 54.6% of family income and cash from abroad just 8.5%. 

Ilocos Norte’s rise has also been unusually fast. Average family income there climbed from about P364,800 in 2021 to P447,860 in 2023, and P619,240 in 2025 – nearly 70% in four years versus about 34% nationwide. The increase also sped up after 2023, with income growth jumping from 22.8% in 2021-2023 to 38.3% in 2023-2025.

That timing overlaps with the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose family’s political dynasty has long counted Ilocos Norte as its bulwark. Still, the FIES by itself deoesn’t show what drove the province’s income surge or whether increased national government spending played any role.

Fast growth doesn’t necessarily mean high income

Speaking of growth, today’s richest places were not necessarily the ones where incomes grew fastest.

Average family income increased in every region from 2023 to 2025, with Cagayan Valley recording the fastest growth at 25%, from P310,550 to P388,220. Despite that increase, the region’s average family income remained below the national average.

Soccskargen posted the slowest regional growth at just 3.7%.

At the provincial level, Samar registered the biggest increase at 54.4%, with average family income jumping from P231,430 in 2023 to P357,340 in 2025.

Not everywhere saw gains. Sultan Kudarat posted the largest decline at 8.2%, from P293,830 to P269,610.

How families earn their income also differs across the country. Wages and salaries were the largest source of family income in every region except BARMM, where entrepreneurial activities accounted for 43.8% of total family income. – Rappler.com