Germans Bring Home More Money

German households continue to earn more money, although a larger amount of their income derived from state benefits. In the first half of 2003, every fourth euro (26 percent) of net household income came from state-funded pensions, social security and unemployment, welfare and child benefits, the German Federal Statistics Office Wiesbaden said on Wednesday. In eastern Germany one in three euros was paid by the state. The average monthly gross income was €3,454 ($4,195), €252 more than in 1998. After taxes and social insurance contributions, private households had an average of €2,771 left and they spent an average of €2,126 monthly, 4.8 percent more than five years earlier. Housing costs averaged €691 per month.