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Shandon area of Cork city (8123129120)Photo: psyberartist · CC BY 2.0
B−Jobs & income Grade
Work & commute in Shandon · Census 2022, CSO

Household incomes in Shandon are lower than in 80% of Irish towns

20% of its commuters take the bus or train. For jobs and income, Shandon earns a grade of B−, #36 of 54 in County Cork. Out of work at the 2022 census: 11% of the labour force in Shandon, where the middle of Irish towns has 9.2%.

What stands out · In brief

What the numbers say about work in Shandon

Lower incomes than most towns

The median household in Shandon had €44,240 a year before tax in 2022; the middle of Irish towns is €57,760. CSO publishes no income figure for this place, so this one is our estimate from its electoral divisions. Household income ↓

Many work from home

20% of workers worked mainly from home on census day, against 11% in the middle of Irish towns. Getting to work ↓

Written from the data on this page: CSO Census 2022, CSO household income 2022 and the Live Register.

Jobs & income Grade

Jobs and income in Shandon earn B−

Better than 46% of Irish towns on four measures taken together, #36 of 54 in County Cork.

Median household income €44,240 · gross, CSO 2022Better than 21% of Irish towns
People aged 15 to 64 in work 71% · Census 2022Better than 78% of Irish towns
Unemployment rate 11% · Census 2022Better than 32% of Irish towns
Average trip to work, school or college 25.2 min · Census 2022Better than 61% of Irish towns

Its strongest measure is the share of 15-to-64s in work; its weakest, household income.

Graded against Irish towns of 1,000 people or more; a shorter trip and less unemployment count in its favor.

How the grade works

Four measures, weighed equally against every Irish town of 1,000 people or more: median gross household income (CSO, 2022), people at work as a share of residents aged 15 to 64, the unemployment rate and the average trip to work, school or college (all three Census 2022). Each becomes a percentile; their average sets the letter.

Household income

Household income in Shandon: €44,240 at the median

Shandon €44KMiddle of Irish towns: €58K
€35K€45K€55K€65K€75K€85K
County medianCounty Cork€60,671
Whole countryIreland€60,123
Highest in County CorkGlanmire€87,280

Shandon’s median is 27% below County Cork’s (€60,671). Of the county’s 53 other towns of 2,500 or more, 41 have a higher median. After tax, the median is €38,890. Across Ireland the median household has €60,123, 36% above Shandon’s.

CSO Geographical Profiles of Income in Ireland 2022: median gross household income, from tax and welfare records linked to Census households.

Getting to work

Walking, cycling, the bus or the train: 59% of Shandon’s commuters

Walk35%County Cork 12% · Irish towns 10%
Bicycle5.1%County Cork 1.4% · Irish towns 2.4%
Bus19%County Cork 5% · Irish towns 6%
Train, DART or Luas0.7%County Cork 0.3% · Irish towns 0.9%
Car or van21%County Cork 71% · Irish towns 66%
Mainly from home20%County Cork 11% · Irish towns 11%
ShandonMiddle of County CorkMiddle of Irish towns

19% take the bus, against 5% in the middle of County Cork. Driving to work: 21% here, 71% in the middle of County Cork. Walking takes 35% of commuters and cycling 5.1%, where the middle of Irish towns has 10% and 2.4%.

Residents in work counted
2,058
travelling to work or working from home, 2022 census
Work from home at least sometimes
46%
of residents in work who answered · middle of Irish towns 33%

Census 2022 (CSO SAPS), means of travel to work.

What residents work in

What residents of Shandon work in

Share of residents in work, by industry Irish towns
Professional services, health and education21%
Manufacturing17%
Commerce and trade15%
Transport and communications10%
Building and construction2%
Public administration1.2%
Farming, forestry and fishing0.1%

Census 2022 (CSO SAPS), industry of people at work who live here. Ireland doesn’t publish how many jobs are based in each town, so this shows what residents do, not the jobs here.

In work

The share in work in Shandon: 71% of 15-to-64s

Of the 53 other places of 2,500 people or more in County Cork, 41 have a smaller share of 15-to-64s in work.

In work, 15 to 64: places of 2,500+ in County Cork
Shandon 71%Middle of Irish towns: 68%
40%45%50%55%60%65%70%75%80%
Unemployment rate
11%
of the labour force, 2022 census
middle of Irish towns: 9.2%
Out of work a year or more
3.4%
of people aged 15 and over
In work, all ages
65%
of people aged 15 and over, retirees included

3.4% of everyone aged 15 and over had been out of work for a year or more. Put another way, 41% of the unemployed had been out of work for a year or more. Of all residents aged 15 and over, retirees and students among them, 65% were at work.

Census 2022 (CSO SAPS): people at work of any age, over residents aged 15 to 64. The census doesn’t cross work with age, so the few people working past 65 count in the top only.

The trip to work

Work and school are closer to hand from Shandon than for the middle of Irish towns

Share of trips by length Shandon · Middle of County Cork · Middle of Irish towns
28%
Under 15 min
63%
15–44 min
5.4%
45–59 min
3.9%
An hour or more

29 of the 54 towns of County Cork counted have a shorter average trip. Short trips of under 15 minutes make up 28%, where the middle of County Cork has 33%. Trips of an hour or longer make up 3.9%, close to the middle of County Cork. Most often, a trip takes 15 to 44 minutes: 63%, against 59% in the middle of County Cork.

Census 2022 (CSO SAPS), time taken to travel to work, school or college; the four bands are the shares of trips whose length was stated.

Signing on

Signing on in Cork city since 2019

0204060801001202019202120232025Covid-19Cork city 99
Cork city

6,264 people were signing on in Cork city in September 2026. Over the year to September 2026, the count rose by 8%. Its lowest month since 2019 was February 2022, at 5,170. Cork city saw its highest month in July 2020: 7,209 people signing on, 14% above the 2019 average.

Signing on
6,264
Cork city, September 2026
In a year
+8.2%
change on the same month last year
Since 2019
+2%
against the 2019 average

Live Register (CSO LRM07), people signing on at social welfare offices each month. It isn’t an unemployment rate: part-time and seasonal workers sign on too, and offices serve areas that aren’t published. This place has no office of its own name, so the chart is its county’s or city’s.

People signing on each month, as a share of the 2019 average (100).

What residents do

In Shandon, 65% of adults are in work

Shandon
65%8%8%8%
Irish towns
57%11%15%6%
In workUnemployedStudentsRetiredLong-term sick or disabledLooking after home or familyOther

Compared with Irish towns, 7.5% are full-time students and 8.2% are retired (against 15%).

Residents in work, by occupation points above or below Irish towns
Managers and professionals47%+0.3
Skilled trades8.3%−1.8
Operatives and elementary jobs19%+2.1

Census 2022 (CSO SAPS), principal economic status of people aged 15 and over; occupations of those at work, in three broad groups.

On foot

The walkability of Shandon: A+

Better than 97% of Irish towns on two measures together, #2 of 54 in County Cork.

Everyday places within 800 m 100% · residents, pharmacy, food shop, school and post office (OpenStreetMap)Better than 95% of Irish towns
Walk, cycle or public transport to work 74% · Census 2022Better than 97% of Irish towns
Residents within 800 m of a… Shandon · Places of 2,500+ in County Cork · Middle of Irish towns
Grocery or supermarket100%
Pharmacy100%
School100%
Post office100%
Family doctor (GP)100%
Bakery94%

OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), places within 800 m in a straight line of each Census small area; active commuting from Census 2022. OpenStreetMap misses many GP surgeries and bakeries in Ireland, so those two are shown, not graded.

Towns its size

45th of 91: where Shandon ranks among Irish towns of 2,500 to 4,800

#TownPeopleIn work, 15–64UnemploymentIncomeGrade
1Annacotty County Limerick3,39871%6%€90KA+
2Glanmire County Cork4,45471%5.6%€87KA+
3Grange Upper County Waterford2,51071%7.4%€65KA
4Riverstown County Cork3,66470%5.1%€83KA
5Blarney County Cork2,77973%5.4%€67KA
…
43Kingscourt County Cavan2,95566%9.4%€55KB−
44Kenmare County Kerry2,56668%10%€40KB−
45Shandon County Cork3,53971%11%€44KB−
46Bantry County Cork2,92967%10%€38KB−
47Carrick-On-Shannon County Leitrim4,74368%11%€46KC+
…
91Courtown County Wexford4,36560%15%€44KD−

Ordered by Jobs & income Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Shandon, and others in County Cork.

Neighbours

Next to Shandon: how nearby places compare

TownIn work, 15–64UnemploymentIncomeAverage tripJobsWalk
Shandon71%11%€44K25.2 minB−A+
Cork City Centre
0.5 km
71%10%€46K25.6 minB−A+
Blackpool
0.7 km
68%12%€42K26.9 minCA+
Gurranebraher
0.7 km
61%13%€39K25.7 minDA
Farranree
0.9 km
58%16%€38K24.5 minD−A
St Luke's
1 km
74%10%€44K27.6 minB−A+
South Gate
1.2 km
69%9.4%€50K24.3 minBA+

The people of each place: the share in work, unemployment, household income and trip times, with both grades.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

What each figure measures for Shandon, where it comes from, and what Ireland doesn’t publish.

  • In work. People at work over residents aged 15 to 64 (Census 2022). Graded in place of the share of everyone 15 and over, so a town of retirees isn’t marked down for them.
  • Unemployment. Unemployed people (first-job seekers included) over the labour force, from Census 2022.
  • Household income. CSO’s median gross household income for 2022. Where CSO publishes no figure for the town, ours is the household-weighted mean of its electoral divisions’ medians, and the page says so.
  • Trip times. Census 2022 groups trips to work, school and college by length; the average uses each group’s middle (7.5 to 105 minutes).
  • Signing on. The Live Register counts people signing on at a social welfare office, by office and county. It includes part-time and seasonal workers, so it follows a trend; it isn’t an unemployment rate.
  • Walkability. Four everyday places within 800 m (pharmacy, food shop, school, post office) and the share who walk, cycle or take the bus or train to work. GP surgeries and bakeries are shown, not graded: OpenStreetMap misses many.
  • Which towns we compare. Places of 2,500 people or more that aren’t a whole city: towns and city neighbourhoods. Grades start at 1,000 people; ranks at 2,500.
  • What isn’t here. Ireland publishes no count of the jobs based in each town and no open table of where commuters go (CSO releases its place-of-work file, POWSCAR, on application only), so this page has no daily tide, commute map or jobs-based-here block. Claimant rates aren’t published for towns either: the Live Register is by office and county.

How the Jobs & income grade is made for Irish towns

Questions about work in Shandon

What is the unemployment rate in Shandon?

11% of the labour force was out of work at the 2022 census, against 9.2% in the middle of Irish towns. 3.4% of people aged 15 and over had been out of work for a year or more.

Is Shandon a good place to find work?

Shandon earns a B− for jobs and income, better than 46% of Irish towns on household income, the share of 15-to-64s in work, unemployment and trip times together, #36 of 54 in County Cork.

How do people in Shandon get to work?

21% of commuters go by car or van, 35% walk, 5.1% cycle and 20% take the bus or train. On census day 2022, 20% worked mainly from home.

How long is the commute from Shandon?

Trips to work, school or college take 25.2 minutes on average; 3.9% take an hour or more and 28% under a quarter of an hour.

How many jobs are there in Shandon?

Ireland doesn’t publish a count of the jobs based in each town. What the census does say is what Shandon’s residents work at, wherever their job is: see What residents work in.

Where do people in Shandon work?

Ireland has no open table of where commuters go: CSO releases its place-of-work file (POWSCAR) on application only. The census does give how people from Shandon travel and how long their trips take.

Sources: CSO Census 2022 SAPS · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income 2022 · CSO Live Register (LRM07) · OpenStreetMap (ODbL) · grades: TownRatings. 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).