Dependency Ratio: An indicator calculating the proportion of dependents (ages 0-19 and 65+) relative to the working-age population (ages 20-64).
Note: No comparable official data is available for regional councils.
Israel's Ministry of Housing ranks Beersheva as the country's 18th most distressed municipality, out of 117. This distinguishes Beersheva sharply from Israel's other regional centers: Jerusalem (75), Tel Aviv (77) and Haifa (87).
Beersheva features relatively little industry, with only 18% of the population working in this field. More than 45% of the population works in public services. The city features under-developed tourism opportunities such as the old city, Bedouin market and the Patriarch Abraham's well, and is a short drive away from Bnei Shimon's lush forests.
Bnei Shimon's kibbutzim engage in industry and agriculture, while in the moshav sector one third of the population earns a living from agriculture, with the remainder working primarily outside of the moshavim.