Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 5,138 people, this town lies in Co. Carlow. The population grew 10% between 2016 and 2022.
Tullow grades low on several counts. Health is its weak spot: bad health runs at 169 and disability at 120 per 100 expected for its ages. With a C− overall, Tullow is better than 16% of Irish towns. The ranking puts it #268 of 320 Irish towns. Its strongest is cost of living — a typical home sold for €249,700, or 5.3 years of the town’s median household income.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health, CSO Census 2022.
The 3 things Tullow does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Tullow with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
The record adds 19 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Tullow.
Asked at the census, 84% of residents of Tullow said they were in good or very good health. Unpaid carers make up 3.7% of residents, lower than Irish towns (5.4%). At the census, 2.8% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2022 | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 3.7% | – | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 84% | – | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.8% | – | 2% |
| With a disability | 24% | – | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, above Irish towns (0%). under 0.1% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, close to Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | – | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 15% | – | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
The nearest secondary, Tullow Community School, is 0.5 km away. Families in the town have 4 schools within 3 km to choose from: 3 primary schools and 1 secondary school. Since 2019/20, pupils changed +6%, above Irish towns (+4%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Muire Lourdes DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 195 | Catholic |
| Tullow Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 901 | Inter-denominational |
| S.N. Phadraig Naofa DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 150 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 75% | – | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | – | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | – | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | – | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no school-by-school results, which is why these cards have no letters.
The average trip to work took 25.1 min, below Irish towns (27.6 min). Among people aged 15 to 64, 64% were working at the census. 82% of commuters took the car to work at the census.
| Census 2022 | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 43% | – | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 12% | – | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 64% | – | 68% |
| Median household income | €46,763 | – | €57,760 |
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.
Renting cost €1,311 a month on average, lower than Irish towns (€1,606). 53% of households own their home.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €245,000 | 190 |
| The last 12 months | €285,000 | 66 |
| Housing | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 24% | – | 13% |
| Median sale price | €250K | – | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 53% | – | 61% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,311 | – | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
In all, 30.9 crimes per 1,000 residents are recorded a year. The commonest graded crime in Tullow was damage to property (2023–2025). Violence came to 4.7 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than Irish towns (5.7).
Not in the gradeTheft, public order and offences found by Garda checks (drugs, road traffic, dangerous acts) are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence, burglary and damage.
| Per 1,000 a year | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 30.9 | – | 54.3 |
| Theft | 7.1 | – | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 7.2 | – | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 4.7 | – | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Day and night, summer and winter, Tullow averages 10.0°C. Here July highs average 20.2°C, above Irish towns (19.9°C). The nearest weather station is Oak Park, 14 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.2°C | – | 2.9°C |
| July high | 20.2°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | – | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 883 mm | – | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 1 km, 0.4% of the land is woodland, below Irish towns (2.7%). Among the protected sites near Tullow is Slaney River Valley SAC. This Co. Carlow town has 1.9 ha of green space for every 1,000 residents.
| Outdoors | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 66% | – | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.4% | – | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Children under 15 make up 24%, higher than Irish towns (20%). Born abroad: 25% of residents. Those 65 and older account for just over one in ten residents.
Women make up 52.2% of Tullow
2,684 women and 2,454 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 12% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 12% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 19% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 44% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.6% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 19% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Carlow and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Local election turnout came to 49%. Carlow County Council is the one council for Tullow; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. This Co. Carlow town sits in the Tullow local electoral area, which elects 6 councillors.
| Turnout | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 49% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
For its size, Tullow has 37 inventory buildings per 10,000 residents, below Irish towns (48). 3.5% of its homes were built before 1919, in line with Irish towns (3.4%).
| Heritage | Tullow | Co. Carlow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 37 | – | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 19 | – | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Tullow. Best known first.
CastleBallyloughan Castle3.1 km outside town, to the northwest
FortRathgall Hillfort2.6 km outside town, to the eastGardenGardenThe Garden at Hardymount House700 m outside town, to the westFortFortRathgall Stone Fort2.7 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 19 buildings in Tullow, each rated of regional importance. 19 archaeological sites are on the record here.
9 notable people were born in Tullow.
Frederick Keppel: Frederick Keppel, photographer unknown., Public domain · Bernard Jackman: Fanny Schertzer, CC BY 3.0 · Richard Meredith: Unknown photographer, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tullow | 5,138 | — | C− | B | C+ | D |
| Rathvilly | 1,074 | 9 | — | B− | A+ | B |
| Carlow | 27,351 | 13 | C− | B | C+ | D |
| Castledermot Kildare | 1,685 | 14 | — | A− | B | C+ |
| Baltinglass Wicklow | 2,611 | 15 | C+ | B | A− | C |
| Bunclody Wexford | 2,053 | 18 | — | B+ | C+ | B |
| Tinahely Wicklow | 1,037 | 19 | — | B− | B− | C+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Tullow had 5,138 people at the 2022 census, up from 4,670 in 2016: 10% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Tullow is 36.2, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Carlow
Tullow has 5,138 people, 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) · TownRatings grades, run #544 (Irish towns only). 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).