Esk St, Invercargill as seen in February 2014.

The average Southlander makes more money than someone living anywhere else in New Zealand, if new data is anything to go by.

Data from Statistics New Zealand revealed Southland had a median weekly income of $693 at the end of the June quarter, the highest in the country. The lowest-earning region was Manawatu-Wanganui, at $510 per week.

Auckland's median weekly income was $640 per person.

Statistics New Zealand analyst Albert Chin said Southland had New Zealand's highest median weekly income because it had a lower proportion of people with no income and less young people. He said the region also had more regular wage and salary earners.

"We've seen a steady increase in earnings."

Southland District Mayor Gary Tong said the earnings stats were another positive sign for the region.

"It's good to hear we're in the top," he said.

"I think the only thing people hear falsely [about Southland] is the weather. There's a lot of positive out there at the moment."

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Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt was also enthusiastic about the income data.

"I'm a bit surprised," he said.

"Anecdotally, people say we're quite a modest city."

Shadbolt said the attitudes of some Southlanders could be part of the reason for the income figures.

"It could be a sign of the culture down here. A lot of Southlanders don't like being on the dole [of government welfare]. There's probably less people on welfare than Auckland."

Shadbolt said many Southlanders would rather move away in search of economic opportunities than accept government assistance, meaning a higher proportion of adults in the area had jobs.

He also said the income figures, coupled with a low cost of living, made the region attractive to people looking for a place to live or work.

"We've known we've had the highest level of discretionary expenditure for some time."

Venture Southland business services manager Alistair Adam said the stats were a sign of a "relatively strong" economy.

"It is good news," he said.

"It helps paint a picture that we have a strong foundation. But there is a cautionary note."

Adam said part of that cautionary note was the influence of agriculture and dairy payouts on the economy. He also said it was important to note that for workers in full-time paid employment, Southland was not the country's highest-earning region.

For workers in paid employment, Southland was fourth overall, with median weekly earnings of $880.

Wellington led the nation at $946 per week, followed by Auckland at $927.

Adam said Wellington and Auckland had higher costs of living than Southland, however, meaning money went further down south.

"It's a pretty positive thing with the lower cost of living."

Not all the data was positive, however.

Statistics New Zealand's income data also showed the pay gap between men and women was growing. Men's median hourly pay rose $1.06 (a 4.6 per cent increase) to $24.07, while women's hourly earnings increased by just 50 cents (2.4 per cent) to $21.23.

In all, women on average earned 11.8 per cent less than men, compared to 9.9 percent in the June 2014 quarter and 11.2 per cent in 2013.

The gender gap is the highest since 2008.

People of different races were also paid unequally. People of European ancestry could expect to earn $23.97 per hour, while Pacific people made $19.18 per hour on average.