City profile: Szczecin

Map of Szczecin

See company ranking in Szczecin

Largest companies registered in Szczecin by revenue and net profit

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Overview of Szczecin

Snapshot of key indicators for Szczecin in the most recent year available.

Population

396,168

people · 2021

Avg. gross salary

9.0 K PLN

2024

Unemployment rate

3.9%

% · 2025

Businesses per 10k

1,989

entities / 10k · 2024

Population density

1,286.4

ppl / km² · 2024

Apartment price / m²

8.7 K PLN / m²

2024

About - Szczecin

Szczecin, with about 396,000 residents and the capital of West Pomeranian Voivodeship, is Poland's largest seaport (together with Świnoujście), on the Oder River and Lake Dąbie close to the German border. Strengths are exceptional: THE LARGEST RIVER AREA in any Polish city — as much as 6,381 ha (100th percentile, the Oder + Dąbie + Międzyodrze), 94.1 m² of greenery per inhabitant (92nd percentile), 5,255 newly registered businesses per year (91st percentile), 60 accommodation establishments (89th percentile) and high investment outlays of PLN 3.28 billion (88th percentile). Business density of 1,989 REGON entities per 10,000 (88th percentile), gross wages of PLN 9,045 (105% of the national average) and 8 museums round out the picture of a strong metropolis. 169 km of bike paths and 14.2 km of bus lanes. Weaknesses: a high deregistration count (3,565, 9th percentile), low police effectiveness of 61.6% (14th percentile) and housing prices of PLN 8,733/m² (17th percentile) limit homeownership access. Szczecin is a geographic phenomenon — the largest water-green city in the country with a strong maritime-port economy, attractive for cross-border business with Germany and Scandinavia.

Strengths and weaknesses of Szczecin

Strengths and weaknesses of Szczecin based on the city's position across every published Polish-city ranking.

Top 3 rankings of Szczecin

Best ranking positions of Szczecin across Poland.

Strengths

Great conditions for an active lifestyle in Szczecin - plenty of sports and recreation spaces.
Best cities for an active lifestyle
Rank among medium cities (200–500 thousand inhabitants): #1
Rank in Poland: #19
High tourist appeal in Szczecin - landmarks, attractions and visitor numbers among the country's top.
Most tourist-attractive cities
Rank among medium cities (200–500 thousand inhabitants): #2
Rank in Poland: #10
High investment potential in Szczecin - strong capex activity by businesses and local government.
City investment potential
Rank among medium cities (200–500 thousand inhabitants):

Weaknesses

Low public-safety level in Szczecin - higher crime than in other Polish cities.
Safest cities
Rank among medium cities (200–500 thousand inhabitants): #7
Rank in Poland: #59
Limited cultural scene in Szczecin - few cultural institutions and events.
Best cities for culture
Rank among medium cities (200–500 thousand inhabitants): #7
Rank in Poland: #50
Underdeveloped cycling infrastructure in Szczecin - short bike-path network and few car alternatives.
Most bike-friendly cities
Rank among medium cities (200–500 thousand inhabitants):

Air quality today

Good air qualitySource: GIOŚ

The result is based on the weakest reading among 3 air monitoring stations in Szczecin.

PM2.5 now

5.25 µg/m³

PM10 now

7.85 µg/m³

Last updated

05/21/2026, 09:22 PM

Demographics of Szczecin

Gender composition and demographic load on the working-age population of Szczecin based on the latest GUS data.

Gender split in Szczecin

Men187,894 · 47.4%
Women208,274 · 52.6%

Dependency ratios in Szczecin

Non-working-age dependency ratio

ppl / 100 working-age · 2024

73.1

Post- per working-age

ppl / 100 working-age · 2024

45.6

Old-age dependency ratio

% · 2024

36.7%

Population change per 1k residents

ppl / 1k · 2024

-6.1

Vital events in Szczecin

Births, deaths, marriages and natural increase in Szczecin based on GUS data.

Total deaths

4,419

people · 2024

Marriages

1,729

marriages · 2024

Births / 1k6.68 per 1k people

Deaths / 1k11.4 per 1k people

Natural increase / 1k-4.72 per 1k people

Labour market in Szczecin

Salaries in Szczecin compared with the voivodeship and national averages, alongside broader employment signals.

Salary benchmark - Szczecin

Voivodeship and Poland baselines derived from BDL ratios (Szczecin vs. voivodeship / Poland).

Registered unemployment in Szczecin

3.9%

% · 2025

Salary growth YoY

14.01%

% · 2024

Job offers at year-end in Szczecin

111

offers · 2025

Employed per 1k residents

310

ppl / 1k · 2021

Business activity in Szczecin

REGON registrations, deregistrations and net balance in Szczecin.

Registrations vs deregistrations - Szczecin

New businesses

5,255

entities · 2025

Deregistered

3,565

entities · 2025

New businessesDeregistered

Net change+1,690

REGON entities per 10k residents

1,989

entities / 10k · 2024

REGON entities per 1k working-age

344.3

entities / 1k working-age · 2024

Sole props / working-age

23.7%

% · 2024

Foreign-capital companies in Szczecin

entities · 2025

Real estate in Szczecin

Apartment prices, affordability and construction activity in Szczecin.

Apartment price / m² in Szczecin

8.7 K PLN / m²

2024

Housing affordability in Szczecin

0.97

months of salary / m² · 2024

Dwellings completed / 1k residents

6.2

dwellings / 1k people · 2025

Months of gross salary required per 1 m² of apartment in Szczecin.

Education in Szczecin

Higher-education students, graduates and preschool-age children in Szczecin based on GUS BDL data.

Higher-ed students

31,954

people · 2024

Higher-ed graduates

6,217

people · 2024

Preschool-age children

6,391

people · 2024

Students by gender

Women18,493
Men13,461

Transport & infrastructure in Szczecin

Registered vehicles, public roads and road infrastructure in Szczecin based on GUS BDL data.

Passenger cars

213,620

vehicles · 2024

Cars / 1k residents: 539.2

Environment and quality of life in Szczecin

Air quality, green areas and public-space quality in Szczecin.

Green areas per capita

94.1

m² / person · 2024

Municipal green areas per capita

7.4

m² / person · 2024

Parks & squares per capita

14.8

m² / person · 2024

Green-areas share of total area

12.11%

% · 2024

Air quality

· Monitoring stations: 3

Particulate matter

PM2.5 now

5.25 µg/m³

Fine particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs.

PM2.5 24h avg

3.82 µg/m³

PM2.5 30d avg

8.9 µg/m³

PM10 now

7.85 µg/m³

Larger airborne particles - dust, traffic and heating.

PM10 24h avg

6.07 µg/m³

PM10 30d avg

16.38 µg/m³

High PM10 days (30d)

Maximum number of days with PM10 above 50 µg/m³ at a single station.

Traffic-related pollution

NO₂ now

11.75 µg/m³

Pollution most often linked to road traffic.

NO₂ 24h avg

8.42 µg/m³

NO₂ 30d avg

15.72 µg/m³

Last updated: 05/21/2026, 09:22 PMSource: GIOŚ

Szczecin in numbers over time

Multi-year trajectory of the key indicators of Szczecin benchmarked against the voivodeship.

Average gross salary in Szczecin

Registered unemployment rate in Szczecin

REGON entities per 10k inhabitants - Szczecin

Population of Szczecin

Apartment price per m² in Szczecin

Szczecin in rankings

How does Szczecin rank?

Every city score is built from open data: GUS, GIOŚ, and public registries. A 0–100 score compares a city against the rest of Poland and against peers of similar population size.

Best cities to live in Poland

52.9/ 100

Rank in Poland: #32
Rank among large cities: #4

settlement year	Taxpayers (1.5%)	Total 1.5% PIT	OPPs in the city	Avg. per OPP
2025	23.8 K	3.8 M PLN	36	105.8 K PLN
2024	22.8 K	3.2 M PLN	34	95.6 K PLN
2023	21.6 K	2.6 M PLN	30	87.4 K PLN
2022	26.3 K	1.9 M PLN	31	60.3 K PLN
2021	26.9 K	1.8 M PLN	29	60.5 K PLN
2020	26.0 K	1.7 M PLN	29	59.8 K PLN
2019	30.7 K	1.9 M PLN	28	68.6 K PLN
2018	32.3 K

Indicator	Szczecin	Bydgoszcz	Difference
Population	396,168	337,666	+58,502 +17.3%
Population density	1,286.4	1,841.6	−555.2 −30.1%
Avg. gross salary	9.0 K PLN	8.4 K PLN	+596.43 PLN +7.1%
Unemployment rate	3.9%	2.5%	+1.4% +56%
REGON / 10k	1,989	1,449	+540 +37.3%
Apartment price / m²	8.7 K PLN / m²	7.7 K PLN / m²	+996 PLN / m² +12.9%
Green areas / capita	94.1	45.3	+48.8 +107.7%
Housing affordability	0.97	0.92	+0.05 +5.4%

City profile: Szczecin

Overview of Szczecin

About - Szczecin

Top 3 rankings of Szczecin

Strengths

Weaknesses

Demographics of Szczecin

Gender split in Szczecin

Dependency ratios in Szczecin

Vital events in Szczecin

Labour market in Szczecin

Salary benchmark - Szczecin

Business activity in Szczecin

Registrations vs deregistrations - Szczecin

Real estate in Szczecin

Education in Szczecin

Students by gender

Transport & infrastructure in Szczecin

Environment and quality of life in Szczecin

Air quality

Particulate matter

Traffic-related pollution

Szczecin in numbers over time

Average gross salary in Szczecin

Registered unemployment rate in Szczecin

REGON entities per 10k inhabitants - Szczecin

Population of Szczecin

Apartment price per m² in Szczecin

Szczecin in rankings

Best cities to live in Poland

Best cities to do business in

Best labour market

Most affordable housing relative to earnings

Greenest cities

City investment potential

Most demographically stable cities

Best cities for families

Best cities for students and education

Wealthiest cities

Safest cities

Best cities for culture

Best cities for an active lifestyle

Most tourist-attractive cities

Best weekend cities

Best cities for after-work life

Best cities for women's careers

Best cities for women

Safest academic cities

Best cities for seniors

Most peaceful cities to live in

Most bike-friendly cities

Cities with the highest parking pressure

Most innovative cities

Public-benefit organisations (OPP) and 1.5% PIT - Szczecin

Largest OPP in Szczecin

1.5% PIT history - Szczecin

Comparison - Szczecin vs another city

Percentage difference (Szczecin minus peer)

All indicators - Szczecin

Companies

ECHO Partners Spółka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością

Flash Automyjnia SPA Samochodowe Spółka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością

Janik Spółka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością

Associations

Stowarzyszenie Sportowe Bukowe

Stowarzyszenie z Piekła do DOMU

Stowarzyszenie Ogrodowe NOWY Kasztanek

Foundations

Fundacja Dziedzictwo i Tożsamość Pomorza Zachodniego

Fundacja Jestem

Fundacja Między TOBĄ a Przyszłością

Browse other city profiles

Comparison - Szczecin vs another city

Percentage difference (Szczecin minus peer)

Public-benefit organisations (OPP) and 1.5% PIT - Szczecin

Largest OPP in Szczecin

1.5% PIT history - Szczecin

Szczecin in rankings

Best cities to live in Poland

Best cities to do business in