Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Only 5% of residents are 65 or over. A town in Co. Cork, home to 1,840 people.
Watergrasshill’s best grade is for safety: for every 1,000 residents, gardaí record 2.1 violent crimes and 1.9 burglaries or acts of criminal damage a year. A typical home sold for €340,000, or 4.1 years of the town’s median household income. It is strong on jobs & income as well (A+) — 77% of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 4%. Hazard risk is lower than in most Irish towns: an estimated 1% of homes are above the radon reference level.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Watergrasshill gets subject grades but no overall one among Irish towns.
Rents for this town aren't published on their own, so its Cost Grade uses the county's average rent. Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level. This town's Hazard risk Grade uses radon and landslides only: open LiDAR heights don't cover enough of its homes to measure flooding, so flood isn't counted for or against it.
The 3 things Watergrasshill does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Watergrasshill 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 2 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 1%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Watergrasshill.
Among people aged 15 to 64, 77% were working at the census. 82% of commuters drove, above both Co. Cork’s towns (71%) and Irish towns (66%). Home was the main workplace for 13% of workers at the census.
| Census 2022 | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €82,069 | €53,156 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 77% | 69% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 8% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 28.9 min | 24.8 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.
The graded crime recorded most in Watergrasshill was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Per 1,000 residents, 28.9 crimes of all kinds are recorded a year. Thefts came to 4.1 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (10.2) and Irish towns (15.3).
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 | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 1.9 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 2.1 | 5.8 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 28.9 | 43.8 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 4.1 | 10.2 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
The EPA’s radon map puts 1.2% of homes in Watergrasshill above the reference level. The ground under Watergrasshill carries no high landslide susceptibility. Very few of its homes sit on low ground by water.
| Share of homes | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0.4% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Disability touches 18% of Watergrasshill’s population. 94% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above both Co. Cork’s towns (88%) and Irish towns (88%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 0.8% of the town.
| Census 2022 | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 94% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 0.8% | 2% | 2% |
| With a disability | 18% | 24% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.9% | 5.9% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Winter lows in Watergrasshill average 2.2°C in January. The year’s mean temperature is 9.7°C, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (10.8°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). The town gets 1,324 mm of rain a year.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.7°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.2°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 2.2°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,324 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Walkers have 0.3 km per km² of paths and tracks, below both Co. Cork’s towns (1.8 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Every 1,000 residents of Watergrasshill share 0.1 ha of green space.
| Outdoors | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 32% | 90% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 0.1 ha | 4.3 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.5% | 4.1% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Only a trace of rain is due today, on a breeze of up to 23 km/h, with a low of 6°C. Tuesday looks like the wettest of the days that follow, with about 10 mm of rain. In November a normal day reaches 11°C and a normal night 4°C; the forecast for Watergrasshill below sets each day against them.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 2°C | 389 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 281 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 277 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 378 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Degrees are held by 44% of adults. 4.6% of residents are 65 or over, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (15%) and Irish towns (14%). The 15-to-24 age group makes up 10% of residents.
Women make up 50.9% of Watergrasshill
936 women and 904 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 30% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 35% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 4.6% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 3.5% | 8.1% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 9.2% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.8% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 44% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
There is no majority on Cork County Council; Fianna Fáil have the most seats, 19 of 55, short of 28. Watergrasshill is run by Cork County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. In the Dáil, Watergrasshill is part of Cork North-Central, which elects 5 TDs.
| Turnout | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 45% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Relative to its size, Watergrasshill keeps 16 buildings on the inventory per 10,000 residents, below both Co. Cork’s towns (103) and Irish towns (48). The archaeological record lists 2 sites here.
| Heritage | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 16 | 103 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 1.2% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | 11 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
5% live in social housing, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (13%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €325,000 | 54 |
| The last 12 months | €425,000 | 49 |
| Housing | Watergrasshill | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 80% | 60% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 5% | 14% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 13% | 21% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Watergrasshill; these are the best known within 40 km.
CastleBlarney Castle and Gardens18 km southwest
CathedralSt. Fin Barre's Cathedral16 km southwest
ZooFota Wildlife Park13 km south · 415K visitors a year (2022)
CathedralCathedral of St. Mary & St. Anne15 km southwest
CathedralSaint Colman's Cathedral18 km south
CastleMTU Blackrock Castle Observatory13 km southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 3 buildings in Watergrasshill, each rated of regional importance. 2 archaeological sites are on the record here.
No notable person born in Watergrasshill is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.
Dara Murphy: European People's Party, CC BY 2.0 · Martha Wilmot: Unknown author Unknown author, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watergrasshill | 1,840 | — | — | B− | A+ | B+ |
| Rathcormac | 1,957 | 8.5 | — | C+ | A | D |
| Riverstown | 3,664 | 9 | A | C− | A | A |
| Glanmire | 4,454 | 10 | A− | C | A | A |
| Ballyvolane | 8,707 | 11 | B− | C− | B− | A− |
| Glounthaune | 5,000 | 11 | A− | C− | A | A |
| Mayfield | 2,846 | 12 | D | B− | C | D− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Watergrasshill had 1,840 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,441 in 2016: 27.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Watergrasshill is 33.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cork
1,840 people live in Watergrasshill, in the area of Cork 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).