A small gmina in Lower Silesia has emerged as Poland’s new salary leader, with median earnings exceeding 13,000 PLN gross per month. The capital, Warsaw, now lags behind by about 30 percent.
According to the latest data from Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS), the gmina of Jerzmanowa recorded a median salary of over 13,000 PLN gross in January 2026. Only 15 percent of Poles earn that much nationwide.
The figures show that Warsaw’s median salary now hovers just below 10,000 PLN. Jerzmanowa, a rural community of roughly 5,000 residents near Głogów, has overtaken the capital by a wide margin. It is not the only location outperforming Warsaw. Lubin, Rudna, Polkowice, Bogatynia, Głogów, Michałowice, and Podkowa Leśna also report medians above 10,000 PLN.
Miedź napędza zarobki
The driver of Jerzmanowa’s high earnings is the copper giant KGHM. The company operates mines and a smelter in the region, employing a large share of the local workforce. January’s record numbers were boosted by annual bonuses, including the so-called 14th salary, which can reach 100-140 percent of monthly pay depending on company performance.
All gminas where KGHM dominates the local job market saw a spike in reported earnings during that period. Jerzmanowa tops the list, followed closely by Lubin, Rudna, Polkowice, Głogów, Grębocice, and Gaworzyce. Further west, Bogatynia made the top tier thanks to the Turów mine and power plant owned by state-controlled PGE.
Struktura zatrudnienia kluczem
These findings highlight how local labor markets can be transformed by a single large employer. In Jerzmanowa and neighboring communities, the concentration of well-paid industrial jobs pushes the median far above the national average.
The data also underscore the gap between Warsaw and the industrial heartlands. While the capital offers a diverse economy, it lacks the concentrated high-wage sectors that drive salaries in the Lower Silesian copper belt. Analysts note that without a comparable industrial anchor, Warsaw’s median is unlikely to catch up in the near future.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Shutterstock
