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San Lorenzo de la Parrilla is an inconspicuous village in the heart of Spain. In the town of 1,040 inhabitants, the rumor mill has been running for a few weeks, because: One of the neighbors recently became rich.

Every year, various statistics are published in Spain on the average income of all municipalities with more than 1000 inhabitants. It is not surprising that the noble suburbs of Madrid and Barcelona are at the top. At 12,737 euros per capita, a small settlement in the Extremadura region was at the bottom of the 2022 survey.

The average per capita income of San Lorenzo de la Parrilla was previously as unremarkable as the village itself, but in 2021 it was less than 20,000 euros and therefore not worth mentioning. The interest will be even greater if this amount suddenly rises to 37,335 euros in 2022.

Residents were amazed at the sudden windfall in their community and the rumor mill started turning: A local business is suddenly making top sales? Who had made so much money that per capita income almost doubled?

Mayor Virginia Martínez shed some light on the matter. She revealed that the boost was due to a single citizen who reported an income of more than R10 million last year. The most obvious explanation: someone won the lottery.

There are now whispers in the village about who the lucky one might be. Whether it is at the regular table of your favorite restaurant or in the supermarket: it is the most important topic in the village community. The newly minted millionaire will probably have to wait a while before he can renovate his house.

(anb)