How Much Do Israelis in West Bank Settlements Earn? NIS 13,463 a Work Month
Workers resident in the Judea and Samaria district averaged NIS 13,463 per work month in 2024, against NIS 14,751 nationally, on National Insurance figures.
Workers living in the Judea and Samaria district averaged NIS 13,463 in gross income per work month in 2024, the National Insurance Institute reported in March 2026, against NIS 14,751 for Israel as a whole. In the Institute’s tables, the district covers the Israeli localities of the West Bank. The Institute counts insured workers by place of residence. The 2024 figure covers 210,278 workers, both employees and self-employed.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| NIS 13,463 | Average gross income per work month, workers resident in the Judea and Samaria district | 2024 |
| NIS 14,751 | The same measure, all Israel | 2024 |
| NIS 10,072 | Median gross income per work month, Judea and Samaria district | 2024 |
| NIS 11,498 | Average gross income per month across the whole year, Judea and Samaria district | 2024 |
| 34.4% | Share of the district’s employees earning up to the minimum wage | 2024 |
| 210,278 | Workers resident in the district, employees and self-employed | 2024 |
Source: National Insurance Institute, Income from Work by Various Characteristics, 2023 to 2024, March 2026. All income figures are gross and not adjusted for part-time work.
Judea and Samaria workers averaged NIS 13,463 per work month
The National Insurance Institute puts the district’s average at NIS 13,463 per work month in 2024, up from NIS 12,794 in 2023. On the same measure, the national average was NIS 14,751 in 2024 and NIS 14,104 in 2023. The measure divides a worker’s income by the months actually worked. The figures are gross, before tax, and not adjusted for part-time work.
The Institute recorded 210,278 workers resident in the district in 2024, up from 205,804 in 2023. They divide three ways:
- 87.7% were employees only
- 8.2% were self-employed only
- 4.1% were both employees and self-employed
The median was NIS 10,072, against NIS 10,401 nationally
The median worker in the Judea and Samaria district earned NIS 10,072 per work month in 2024, the National Insurance Institute reported, against a national median of NIS 10,401. Half the district’s workers earned more than the median and half earned less. In both the district and the country, the median sits below the average.
| Measure, per work month, 2024 | Judea and Samaria district | All Israel |
|---|---|---|
| Average | NIS 13,463 | NIS 14,751 |
| Median | NIS 10,072 | NIS 10,401 |
Source: National Insurance Institute, Income from Work by Various Characteristics, 2023 to 2024.
Men earned NIS 16,791 a work month, women NIS 10,517
Men resident in the district averaged NIS 16,791 per work month in 2024, the National Insurance Institute reported. Women averaged NIS 10,517. These figures measure gross income per month worked. They do not measure hourly pay, because the Institute does not adjust them for part-time work.
- Men, Judea and Samaria district: NIS 16,791 per work month, 2024
- Women, Judea and Samaria district: NIS 10,517 per work month, 2024
- All workers, Judea and Samaria district: NIS 13,463 per work month, 2024
34.4% of employees earned up to the minimum wage
In 2024, 34.4% of the district’s employees earned up to the minimum wage, the National Insurance Institute reported. The national share was 30.1% of employees. Both figures are shares of employees, not of all 210,278 workers in the district.
The Institute publishes the minimum wage in a separate table. That table gives the monthly rate for a full-time employee aged 18 and over. The rate rose to NIS 5,880.02 on 1 April 2024, so the first three months of 2024 ran at the earlier rate.
| In force from | Monthly minimum wage, gross |
|---|---|
| 1 April 2023 | NIS 5,571.75 |
| 1 April 2024 | NIS 5,880.02 |
| 1 April 2025 | NIS 6,247.67 |
| 1 April 2026 | NIS 6,443.85 |
Source: National Insurance Institute, Minimum Wage. The minimum wage is what an employer has to pay, before deductions, and not take-home pay.
Across the full year, the district averaged NIS 11,498 a month
Spread across all 12 months, the district’s average income from work was NIS 11,498 in 2024, the National Insurance Institute reported, against NIS 12,844 nationally. This measure divides a year’s income by 12, whether or not every month was worked. That is why it runs lower than the per-work-month figure. The two measures may not be set against each other.
The Central Bureau of Statistics counts the wider population that these workers belong to. In its 2024 localities file, the rows for the Judea and Samaria district add up to 514,496 residents, 509,990 of them Israelis. That is the Israeli population of the West Bank outside East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem neighbourhoods sit in the Bureau’s Jerusalem District. The largest locality in the district is Modi’in Illit.
| Locality | Status | Residents, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Modi’in Illit | Municipality | 89,627 |
| Betar Illit | Municipality | 71,698 |
| Ma’ale Adummim | Municipality | 35,845 |
| Giv’at Ze’ev | Local council | 25,105 |
| Ari’el | Municipality | 22,190 |
| Efrat | Local council | 12,115 |
Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Localities in Israel 2024. Totals include foreigners.
Which of these figures may not be compared?
- The National Insurance Institute publishes two different averages. Income per work month and income per month across the year are not interchangeable.
- The Institute records gross income from work, before tax, with no adjustment for part-time work.
- The Institute counts insured workers by district of residence. Residents without an Israeli identity card are not counted.
- The Bureau’s 514,496 residents include foreigners. The 210,278 workers may not be divided by that population to produce an employment rate.
- A district average pools many localities and gives no figure for any single one.
Questions readers ask
How much does the average settler earn a month?
The National Insurance Institute reported an average of NIS 13,463 per work month in 2024 for workers resident in the Judea and Samaria district. The figure is gross, before tax.
Is that more or less than the Israeli average?
It is less. The National Insurance Institute recorded a national average of NIS 14,751 per work month in 2024, on the same measure.
What does a typical West Bank settler earn?
The National Insurance Institute reported a median of NIS 10,072 per work month in 2024 for the district. The national median was NIS 10,401.
Did settler incomes rise between 2023 and 2024?
Yes. The National Insurance Institute recorded a district average of NIS 12,794 per work month in 2023 and NIS 13,463 in 2024.
How many Israelis in the West Bank work?
The National Insurance Institute counted 210,278 workers resident in the Judea and Samaria district in 2024, up from 205,804 in 2023. These are insured workers, both employees and self-employed.
How many settlers are self-employed?
The National Insurance Institute reported that 8.2% of the district’s workers were self-employed only in 2024. Another 4.1% were both employees and self-employed.
Do men in the settlements earn more than women?
Yes. The National Insurance Institute reported averages of NIS 16,791 per work month for men and NIS 10,517 for women in 2024. The figures are not adjusted for part-time work.
How many settlement workers earn the minimum wage or less?
The National Insurance Institute reported that 34.4% of the district’s employees earned up to the minimum wage in 2024. The national share was 30.1% of employees.
What was Israel’s minimum wage in 2024?
The National Insurance Institute states a monthly rate of NIS 5,880.02 from 1 April 2024, for full-time employees aged 18 and over. The rate before that was NIS 5,571.75.
What is the minimum wage now?
The National Insurance Institute states NIS 6,443.85 a month from 1 April 2026, for full-time employees aged 18 and over. The figure is gross.
Are these income figures before or after tax?
They are before tax. The National Insurance Institute reports gross income from work, so the release carries no figure for tax paid or for take-home pay.
Do the figures include Palestinians living in the West Bank?
No. The National Insurance Institute counts only insured residents with an Israeli identity card. Residents of the area without one are not counted as workers.
Do the figures show where settlers work?
No. The National Insurance Institute published its district table by place of residence. It groups workers by where they live, not by where they work.
How do settler incomes compare with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem?
On the per-month-across-the-year measure for 2024, the National Insurance Institute reported NIS 11,498 for the Judea and Samaria district. It reported NIS 15,937 for the Tel Aviv District and NIS 10,250 for the Jerusalem District.
Which is the largest settlement?
The Central Bureau of Statistics counted 89,627 residents in Modi’in Illit in 2024, the largest locality in the Judea and Samaria district. The ranking excludes East Jerusalem neighbourhoods, which the Bureau places in the Jerusalem District.
Sources
- Central Bureau of Statistics, 2025. Localities in Israel 2024 (localities file, by locality code). Spreadsheet, one row per locality. https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2019/ishuvim/bycode2024.xlsx. Official or primary record.
- National Insurance Institute, 2026. Income from Work by Various Characteristics, 2023 to 2024. Research and Planning Administration, March 2026, with appendix Table 4. https://www.btl.gov.il/Publications/survey/Documents/seker_326/hachnasa20232024.pdf. Official or primary record.
- National Insurance Institute, 2026. Minimum Wage. Research and Planning, General Data. https://www.btl.gov.il/English%20Homepage/Mediniyut/GeneralInformation/Pages/MinimumWage.aspx. Official or primary record.
