Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 1,248 residents and lies in Co. Cork. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 8%.
Recorded crime is low: per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 3.3 violent crimes and 2.3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. People here tend to be in good health: bad health runs at 75 and disability at 100 per 100 expected for its ages. Its weakest is walkability — on the way to work, 4% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. Set against the median household income, the median home, at €342,500, costs 4.8 times as much. Hazard risk is higher than most: an estimated 21% of homes are above the radon reference level.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA. Whitegate is graded subject by subject, but Irish towns need 2,500 residents for an overall grade.
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.
The 3 things Whitegate does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Whitegate 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 5 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 7%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Whitegate.
On high landslide susceptibility: 4.1% of homes, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (0.4%) and Irish towns (0%). For a swim, the nearest bathing water is Fountainstown, 8.5 km from Whitegate, rated good in 2025.
| Share of homes | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 4.1% | 0.4% | 0% |
| Low-lying near the coast | 8.5% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Among the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Whitegate has less crime per resident than 78% of them. Theft, shown but not graded, ran at 2 per 1,000 a year, below Co. Cork’s towns (10.2) and Irish towns (15.3) alike. The graded crime recorded most in the town was assaults and harassment (2023–2025).
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 | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.3 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 15 | 43.8 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 2 | 10.2 | 15.3 |
| Violent crime | 3.3 | 5.8 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
At the census, 1% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (2%) and Irish towns (2%). Asked at the census, 93% of residents of Whitegate said they were in good or very good health. Ages taken into account, Whitegate counts 100 people with a disability for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 93% | 88% | 88% |
| With a disability | 18% | 24% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5% | 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
A household here earns €71,200 a year before tax, on average. 84% of commuters drove, above both Co. Cork’s towns (71%) and Irish towns (66%). On average, the journey to work lasts 31.6 min.
| Census 2022 | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 31.6 min | 24.8 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 8% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €71,200 | €53,156 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 27% | 33% | 31% |
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.
2 schools lie within 3 km of Whitegate: 2 primary schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Ath Fhada Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 304 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 37% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 9% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −6% | +1% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
Here July highs average 19.4°C, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (20.0°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). Across the year, Whitegate averages 10.8°C. December is the wettest month in the town, with 113 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.4°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 3.9°C | 3.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.8°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 1,039 mm | 1,114 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 400 m of green space: 100% of homes. The sea makes up 38% of the area within 5 km, higher than both Co. Cork’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). Among the protected sites near Whitegate is Cork Harbour SPA.
| Outdoors | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 38% | 0% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 100% | 90% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 2.4% | 4.1% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain of about 1 mm rides in on the wind today (42 km/h); the low is 9°C. The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 24 mm. Whitegate’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 12°C, nights 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 296 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 214 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 232 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 297 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
7.5% of residents are 65 or over. Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.8%, lower than both Co. Cork’s towns (1.1%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Foreign-born residents make up 14% of the population.
Women make up 50.2% of Whitegate
626 women and 622 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 28% | 19% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 7.5% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 5.5% | 8.1% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 8.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7.8% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 37% | 38% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Cork and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Fianna Fáil lead Cork County Council with 19 of 55 seats, but no party has a majority: 28 are needed. Cork County Council is the council for Whitegate, and the only one: Ireland has a single tier of local government. This Co. Cork town sits in the Midleton local electoral area, which elects 7 councillors.
| Turnout | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 7.3% of the total. 5 archaeological sites are on the record, below Co. Cork’s towns (11) and Irish towns (11) alike. Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 12 buildings in Whitegate, each of regional importance.
| Heritage | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 96 | 103 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 7.3% | 7.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 5 | 11 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Social housing holds 6% of households. 16% rent privately, below both Co. Cork’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (22%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €302,000 | 43 |
| Housing | Whitegate | Co. Cork | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 77% | 60% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 6% | 14% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 16% | 21% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Whitegate. Best known first.
CathedralSaint Colman's Cathedral4.9 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumSpike Island3.4 km outside town, to the west
MuseumCamden Fort Meagher3.2 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumTitanic Experience Cobh4.9 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionTrabolgan Holiday Village2.6 km outside town, to the southTheme parkTheme parkPiper's Amusements4.5 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 12 buildings in Whitegate, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 5 sites here.
4 notable people were born in Whitegate.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitegate | 1,248 | — | — | B− | A | A− |
| Aghada-Rostellan | 1,159 | 1.3 | — | C+ | A | A+ |
| Crosshaven | 3,263 | 5.6 | A | C− | A+ | A |
| Cobh | 14,148 | 6.1 | B | B− | A− | C+ |
| Cloyne | 1,967 | 7.8 | — | B+ | A+ | C |
| Passage West-Monkstown | 6,051 | 9 | A | B− | A+ | B+ |
| Carrigtwohill | 5,568 | 9.6 | A+ | B− | A | A− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
12% mostly work from home, and 27% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Whitegate had 1,248 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,155 in 2016: 8.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Whitegate is 36.6, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Cork
Whitegate has 1,248 people, 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).