Photo: David Hawgood · CC BY-SA 2.0Health in Tower is close to what its ages would predict
At the 2022 Census, 86 people in Tower reported bad or very bad health for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates, and 96 had a disability. Tower grades A− for health, #10 of 54 in Co. Cork and #61 of 321 Irish towns.
What stands out about health in Tower
More deaths in Co. Cork than in Ireland
Deaths are counted by county, not town: Co. Cork had 950 a year per 100,000 over 2020–2024 once its ages are allowed for, against 918 for the whole country. The wider area ↓
Fewer smokers than most towns
11% of people in Tower told the Census they smoke, against 16% in the typical Irish town. Census health ↓
From the CSO: Census 2022 health set against Ireland’s rates at each age and sex, household income for 2022, and deaths by county.
Tower grades A− for health
Census 2022: each measure per 100 expected for the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates.
Per 100 expected · 2022
The grade averages the two, each ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents. Both measures beat the middle town’s, so neither holds Tower back. Its place: #10 of 54 in Co. Cork and #61 of 321 Irish towns.
How sure: Both figures count every resident at the 2022 Census, not a sample, but chance still moves them in a small place.
How the grade works
A ratio of 100 means as many people as Ireland’s rates at each age and sex would predict for the town’s own residents; 120 means a fifth more, 80 a fifth fewer. Bad health is answering “bad” or “very bad” to the Census question on general health; disability is a long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great or some extent. Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded: too few people to judge.
91% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2022, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 86 report bad health for every 100 expected, fewer than the national rate. 6% give regular unpaid care (5.4% in the typical Irish town), and 11% smoke (16%).
The town beside its county’s towns and all Irish towns
| Share of residents | Tower | Towns in Co. Cork | Irish towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 91% | 89% | 89% |
| Fair health | 7% | 9.5% | 9.5% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
| Disability, to any extent | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Unable to work: illness or disability (15+) | 4% | 5.5% | 4.7% |
| Unpaid carers | 6% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| Smokers | 11% | 16% | 16% |
Life expectancy in the South-West region: 83.2 for women, 79.1 for men
What Ireland publishes above the town: deaths by county and life expectancy by region.
Deaths in Co. Cork, 2020–2024
Deaths a year per 100,000, age-standardised · 2020–2024
Co. Cork sits in the middle of the counties, with 950 deaths a year per 100,000 for its ages; Ireland’s figure is 918, and the county’s range runs from 921 to 980.
Every county
| County | Deaths per 100,000 | Bad health | Disability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meath | 849 | 90 | 96 |
| Galway | 854 | 91 | 95 |
| Laois | 862 | 112 | 106 |
| Kildare | 872 | 94 | 100 |
| Roscommon | 892 | 99 | 99 |
| Kilkenny | 892 | 88 | 98 |
| Wicklow | 901 | 94 | 106 |
| Dublin | 907 | 109 | 99 |
| Mayo | 907 | 93 | 94 |
| Ireland | 918 | 101 | 100 |
| Monaghan | 919 | 85 | 87 |
| Clare | 928 | 96 | 96 |
| Westmeath | 929 | 97 | 100 |
| Louth | 931 | 117 | 104 |
| Kerry | 931 | 85 | 95 |
| Donegal | 933 | 107 | 102 |
| Waterford | 935 | 99 | 104 |
| Cork | 950 | 89 | 102 |
| Tipperary | 952 | 103 | 103 |
| Cavan | 954 | 96 | 93 |
| Sligo | 962 | 94 | 101 |
| Wexford | 962 | 109 | 109 |
| Carlow | 964 | 118 | 108 |
| Longford | 972 | 126 | 98 |
| Limerick | 976 | 113 | 103 |
| Offaly | 984 | 117 | 104 |
| Leitrim | 1,012 | 96 | 100 |
Life expectancy by region, 2016
| Region | Life expectancy, women | Life expectancy, men |
|---|---|---|
| West | 84.5 | 79.7 |
| Mid-East | 84 | 80.3 |
| Border | 83.5 | 79.5 |
| Dublin | 83.4 | 80.1 |
| South-West | 83.2 | 79.1 |
| Midland | 83.2 | 80 |
| South-East | 83.1 | 79.3 |
| Mid-West | 82.5 | 79 |
Ireland doesn’t publish life expectancy, deaths, hospital waiting times or GP numbers for towns: life expectancy comes by region and only to 2016, and the HSE reports waits by hospital, not by where patients live. So Tower is graded on what the Census counts for every town: bad health and disability for its ages.
Deaths: CSO MORT04, 2020–2024, by county, age-standardised. Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by NUTS 3 region. Not graded.
7% less bad health than towns with its income
Each dot is one of 321 Irish towns of 2,500 or more; the line is the trend.
Richer towns report less bad health for their ages: the line follows 321 Irish towns (correlation −0.74). It puts a town with Tower’s household income, €74,113, at about 92 per 100 expected; Tower is at 86. Income doesn’t change the grade.
Household income: CSO, 2022. Bad health: Census 2022. The ratios, the estimate for towns without their own income figure and the line are TownRatings calculations.
28% of people in HSE South West hold a medical card
Free care by health region, and how many homes have a car to reach it.
In HSE South West, 28% of people held a medical card in 2022 and 11% a GP visit card; across the six health regions the medical-card share runs from 27% to 34%.
Fewer homes here are without a car: 5.4% of households in Tower, against 17% in the typical Irish town.
Medical and GP visit cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region. Cars: CSO Census 2022.
Tower comes 4th of 40 Irish towns its size for health
The 40 graded towns nearest its population, ordered by Health Grade. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverstown Cork | 3,664 | 67 | A |
| 2 | Stamullen Meath | 3,720 | 68 | A |
| 3 | Crosshaven Cork | 3,263 | 63 | A |
| 4 | Tower Cork | 3,300 | 86 | A− |
| 5 | Annacotty Limerick | 3,398 | 85 | A− |
| 6 | Gort Galway | 2,870 | 82 | A− |
| … | ||||
| 40 | Ballynanty Limerick | 3,030 | 265 | D− |
These towns run from 2,870 to 3,744 people, and their bad health from 63 to 265 per 100 expected; Tower has 86.
Health in the places around Tower
Bad health and disability per 100 expected for each place’s ages. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Bad health | Disability | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower | 3,300 | 86 | 96 | A− |
| Blarney 3.1 km | 2,779 | 78 | 101 | A− |
| Ballincollig 4.6 km | 21,940 | 81 | 101 | A− |
| Killumney 6.9 km | 1,466 | 44 | 80 | A+ |
| Shanakiel 7.2 km | 3,804 | 133 | 117 | C− |
| Hollyhill and Ballincolly 7.3 km | 8,606 | 93 | 108 | B |
| Bishopstown 7.5 km | 14,529 | 99 | 98 | B+ |
Shanakiel, 7.2 km away, reports more bad health for its ages: 133 for every 100 expected, against 86 in Tower.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Adjusted for age. Each figure is people per 100 expected: the town’s own ages and sex at Ireland’s rates give the expected count, so an older town isn’t marked down for its age.
- Small areas, summed to the town. The Census counts are summed from the small areas (about 80 to 120 homes each) that make up the town.
- How sure. Bad health is rare (under 2% of people), so in a small town a few people move the figure; where its 90% range is wider than 50 points the grade is marked less sure. Disability counts are large enough never to be.
- Income and health. The income chart sets each town’s 2022 median gross household income against its bad-health ratio. Where no figure is published for a town, ours is built from the electoral divisions it covers, so it is approximate. The line is a trend, not a cause, and it isn’t part of the grade.
- Deaths by county. Ireland counts deaths by county, not town. The county rate is age-standardised, so an older county isn’t marked up for its age, and it covers five years, so one hard winter doesn’t swing it.
- Town and county. A county’s figure takes in its towns and the countryside around them. Taken together, Irish towns of 2,500 or more have 115 people in bad health per 100 expected, so a town can sit well above the county it belongs to.
- What Ireland doesn’t publish by town. Life expectancy (by region, to 2016), deaths, hospital waits and GP numbers aren’t published for towns, so they aren’t graded here.
- Different years. The Census ratios, medical cards and income are from 2022, deaths by county from 2020–2024, life expectancy from 2016.
Questions about health in Tower
How healthy is Tower?
At the 2022 Census, 86 people in Tower reported bad or very bad health and 96 had a disability for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates; 91% said their health was good or very good.
How is Tower’s Health Grade worked out?
From two Census 2022 measures, each set against the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates: bad or very bad health, and disability. Each is ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents and the grade averages the two; ranks start at 2,500 residents, and a county rank needs five graded towns.
What is the life expectancy in Tower?
Ireland publishes life expectancy for eight regions, not for towns, and the latest is for 2016: in the South-West region it was 79.1 for men and 83.2 for women.
How many people die each year in Co. Cork?
Ireland publishes deaths by county rather than by town. Over 2020–2024, 950 people a year died per 100,000 in Co. Cork once its ages are allowed for; for Ireland the figure is 918.
Is Tower healthier than its income would suggest?
Yes. Irish towns with a median household income of €74,113 typically have about 92 people in bad health per 100 expected; Tower has 86.
How many people near Tower have a medical card?
Cards are counted by health region only: 28% of people in HSE South West have a medical card, which covers GP visits and public hospital care, and 11% have a GP visit card, which covers GP visits alone.
Where is the nearest hospital or GP to Tower?
This page doesn’t list hospitals or GP practices yet: the HSE publishes its services by hospital and health area, not by town, so the nearest ones aren’t matched to Tower here. The HSE’s service finder lists them; in an emergency call 112 or 999.
Source: CSO, Census of Population 2022 (CC BY 4.0). Age-standardised ratios are TownRatings calculations against Ireland’s rates by age and sex (F4014, F4066). Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by region. Medical cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region.
Sources: CSO Census of Population 2022 (Small Area Population Statistics; F4014, F4066) · bad health and disability per 100 expected: TownRatings calculations, indirectly standardized by age and sex · CSO VSA31 (life expectancy, 2016) · HSE via CSO HHR03 (medical cards, 2022) · CSO MORT04 (deaths by county, age-standardised, 2020–2024) · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income in Ireland 2022 (GPIIA01, GPIIA02) · Health Grade: TownRatings, the live run. 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).