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North Savo

North Savo had 248,815 residents at the end of 2024, in 19 municipalities. Median disposable income of adults was €24,831 in 2024, 6% below the national level. The population has fallen by 1.7% since 2015.

Region · Code 11 · in Swedish Norra Savolax · Statistics Finland · Updated 24 October 2026
248,815residents31 December 2024
€24,831median incomeadults, 2024
36%of households rentingtenure
25%green within 500 maverage
North Savo by postcode area
Map of North Savo: Share of land within 500 m that is green space
0%30%+
Share of land within 500 m that is green space

Sources: Statistics Finland, Paavo open data by postal code area 2026 (CC BY 4.0) · Statistics Finland, municipal and regional boundaries 2026 (CC BY 4.0) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

All 19 municipalities.

Colour shows where each one sits among the others in the table, from lowest to highest.

MunicipalityResidentsMedian incomeRentingOwning65+Avg. ageUnemploymentGreen 500 mServices 15 min
Iisalmi20,463€24,51434%65%30%4714.2%19%49
Joroinen4,552€24,12322%77%34%5011.6%41%16
Kaavi2,589€21,44721%77%39%5415.4%33%16
Keitele1,985€23,19920%78%42%5411.8%28%16
Kiuruvesi7,354€22,75026%72%34%4912.7%12%33
Kuopio125,666€25,39045%54%23%4312.2%26%124
Lapinlahti8,865€24,35823%75%31%4811.1%18%17
Leppävirta8,971€25,35720%79%34%5112.4%32%25
Pielavesi3,980€22,03819%79%41%5311.2%35%12
Rautalampi2,935€22,31123%74%37%5211.1%33%31
Rautavaara1,413€19,90723%74%43%5615.3%42%19
Siilinjärvi21,269€27,51223%76%23%449.7%33%62
Sonkajärvi3,570€22,51325%73%38%5313.4%16%17
Suonenjoki6,632€23,67129%70%35%5010.4%15%47
Tervo1,388€22,00419%80%45%5613.0%17%9
Tuusniemi2,311€22,04819%79%42%5512.7%37%15
Varkaus19,669€23,84134%65%34%5016.9%22%26
Vesanto1,851€21,20220%78%44%5614.7%43%14
Vieremä3,352€24,34124%74%30%4811.2%7%14

Sources: Statistics Finland, Paavo open data by postal code area 2026 (CC BY 4.0) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

People.

Age at the end of 2024, next to the figure for Finland.

15%
aged under 16
10%
aged 16–24
24%
aged 25–44
24%
aged 45–64
27%
aged 65 and over
46
years, average age

Main activity

Employed40%
Unemployed6%
Students8%
Pensioners31%
Children aged 0–1414%
Others2%

Population at the end of each year

2015253,239
2016252,815
2017251,570
2018250,414
2019249,003
2020248,265
2021248,363
2022247,689
2023248,190
2024248,815

Source: Statistics Finland, Paavo open data by postal code area 2026 (CC BY 4.0)

Income and education.

Disposable income in 2024 and education at the end of 2024.

€24,831
median income, adults
€27,661
mean income, adults
12.5%
unemployment rate

Education of adults

No qualification after basic education20%
Matriculation examination5%
Vocational qualification43%
Lower university or polytechnic degree22%
Higher university degree10%

Income is the disposable money income of residents aged 18 and over in 2024: taxable and tax-free income minus taxes and contributions. The median is the middle value, so a few high earners do not pull it up.

Source: Statistics Finland, Paavo open data by postal code area 2026 (CC BY 4.0)

Homes.

130,640 households and 149,998 homes at the end of 2024.

1.9
people per household
43.4 m²
floor area per person
78.9 m²
average home size
42%
of homes in blocks of flats

Households by tenure

Owner-occupied63%
Rented36%
Other tenure1%

Households

One-person households48%
Young one-person households12%
Households with children18%
Pensioner households37%

Household groups overlap: young one-person households, for example, are also counted as one-person households.

98,543jobs located hereworkplaces
30,650summer cottages and other leisure homesleisure homes
57%of homes in housesdetached, semi-detached, terraced

Statistics Finland withholds a figure when fewer than 30 people are behind it (fewer than 10 for workplaces). Missing figures are shown as a dash and never estimated.

Source: Statistics Finland, Paavo open data by postal code area 2026 (CC BY 4.0)

Everyday life.

80 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk; 25% green space within 500 metres.

171schoolsOpenStreetMap
90day-care centresOpenStreetMap
12residents per km²21,055.0 km²

Services and green space are measured from each postcode area’s service centre: the point inside the area with the most shops and services within 500 metres. Municipal and regional figures are averages weighted by population.

Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

Around here.

Photographs taken near North Savo, shared on Wikimedia Commons under free licences.

Kuopio Town Hall 1989
i
Kuopio Town Hall 1989
Photo: Matti Mattila · CC BY 2.0
View on Wikimedia Commons
Kuopio Market Square
i
Kuopio Market Square
Photo: Tiia Monto · CC BY-SA 3.0
View on Wikimedia Commons
Kuopio Market Hall
i
Kuopio Market Hall
Photo: Tiia Monto · CC BY-SA 3.0
View on Wikimedia Commons

Municipalities.