Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 653 people live in this town, in Co. Carlow. It grew by 10% between the 2016 and 2022 censuses.
The median home sold for €206,200, 4 times the town’s median household income. A degree is held by one in ten adults. Unemployment stood at 14% of the labour force in 2022.
Hacketstown isn’t graded: grades for Irish towns begin at 1,000 residents.
The 2 things Hacketstown does most differently from other towns.
1 archaeological site are on the record here too.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hacketstown.
50% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, near Co. Carlow’s towns (50%) and higher than Irish towns (35%). Coláiste Eoin is the nearest secondary school, 0.1 km away. Within 3 km of Hacketstown there are 2 schools (1 primary school and 1 secondary school).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Josephs N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 149 | Catholic |
| Coláiste EoinLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 358 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +36% | +4% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 0% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 50% | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
0.5% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, about level with Co. Carlow’s towns (under 0.1%) and above Irish towns (0%). Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.
| Share of homes | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 76% | 100% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.5% | under 0.1% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
A year brings 1,083 mm of rain to Hacketstown. Across the year it averages 9.3°C, lower than both Co. Carlow’s towns (10.1°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). Summer highs in Hacketstown reach 19.5°C in July.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 1.4°C | 2.3°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.3°C | 10.1°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.5°C | 20.3°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,083 mm | 892 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Just over a fifth of residents have a disability, below Co. Carlow’s towns (24%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 3% of the town. Asked at the census, 86% of residents of Hacketstown said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2022 | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 2.5% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.6% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 21% | 24% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 85% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Private renters make up 15% of households, below Co. Carlow’s towns (22%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. Home ownership stands at 55% of households.
| Housing | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 28% | 24% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €206K | €250K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 15% | 22% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 55% | 54% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Walkers have 0.3 km per km² of paths and tracks, near Co. Carlow’s towns (0.5 km per km²) and lower than Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Among the protected sites near Hacketstown is Slaney River Valley SAC.
| Outdoors | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 0% | 72% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | 0.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.3% | 1.3% | 2.7% |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 0.0 ha | 1.9 ha | 4.1 ha |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The average trip to work took 28.2 min, higher than Co. Carlow’s towns (25.1 min) and near Irish towns (27.6 min). Of working-age residents (15 to 64), 60% were employed at the census. At the census, 7.1% of workers worked mainly from home.
| Census 2022 | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 12% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 60% | 62% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 46% | 43% | 31% |
| Average trip | 28.2 min | 25.1 min | 27.6 min |
CSO, Census 2022 travel to work, work and education · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income 2022 · Live Register · Census day was 3 April 2022, with working from home still common; shares are of those who travelled.
0.2% speak Irish daily outside school, about level with Co. Carlow’s towns (0.6%) and below Irish towns (1.1%). Also worth knowing: the 65-and-over age group makes up 16% of residents.
48.4% of Hacketstown’s residents are women
316 women and 337 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 20% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 17% | 12% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 27% | 19% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 2.5% | 6.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 9.7% | 19% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Carlow and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Fine Gael lead Carlow County Council with 6 of 18 seats, but no party has a majority: 10 are needed. Hacketstown is run by Carlow County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. 49% of voters turned out at the last local elections, close to Co. Carlow’s towns (49%) and above Irish towns (46%).
| Turnout | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 49% | 49% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The pre-1919 share of homes is 9.4%. Scaled to its population, Hacketstown has 31 inventory buildings per 10,000 people, below both Co. Carlow’s towns (37) and Irish towns (48). There are 1 entries on the national archaeological record here.
| Heritage | Hacketstown | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 31 | 37 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 9.4% | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 1 | 19 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Hacketstown; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleClonmore Castle3.8 km outside town, to the south
Abbey or prioryGlendalough23 km northeast
National parkWicklow Mountains National Park20 km northeast
CastleBallyloughan Castle15 km west
CastleHumewood Castle6.6 km northwest
CastleCarlow Castle26 km westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
2 of Hacketstown’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists one archaeological site in and around the town.
One notable person was born in Hacketstown; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Jennie Wyse Power: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Frederick Keppel: Frederick Keppel, photographer unknown., Public domain
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hacketstown | 653 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tinahely Wicklow | 1,037 | 9.8 | — | B− | B− | C+ |
| Rathvilly | 1,074 | 9.8 | — | B− | A+ | B |
| Baltinglass Wicklow | 2,611 | 13 | C+ | B | A− | C |
| Tullow | 5,138 | 14 | C− | B | C+ | D |
| Aughrim Wicklow | 1,437 | 15 | — | B− | A | C− |
| Carnew Wicklow | 1,233 | 17 | — | B | B | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Hacketstown had 653 people at the 2022 census, up from 595 in 2016: 9.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Hacketstown is 37.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
75% of working residents drive to work and 17% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%). 7% mostly work from home, and 46% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Carlow
653 people live in Hacketstown, in the area of Carlow County Council. TownRatings uses the CSO’s 2022 Urban Areas as Ireland’s towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a county or a council area, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from Tailte Éireann’s boundaries and the CSO’s Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0)
Sources: CSO, Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · Tailte Éireann, Urban Areas and Electoral Divisions 2022 (CC BY 4.0). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).