Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 5,406 residents and lies in Co. Donegal.
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. Getting around depends on the car. 13% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). Overall, Ballybofey-Stranorlar earns a C+: better than 38% of Irish towns, and #4 of 6 in Co. Donegal. Its best grade is for cost of living (A): prices run to a median €176,000, 4.3 times local household income.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · commuting, CSO Census 2022.
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.
Each subject compares Ballybofey-Stranorlar 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 3 things Ballybofey-Stranorlar does most differently from other towns.
The record adds 8 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 3%, against 3% across Irish towns.
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 27 buildings in Ballybofey-Stranorlar, each rated of regional importance. 8 archaeological sites are on the record here.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballybofey-Stranorlar.
Renting cost €868 a month on average, close to Co. Donegal’s towns (€873) and below Irish towns (€1,606). 58% of households are owner-occupiers. The private rented sector houses 23% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €170,000 | 209 |
| The last 12 months | €215,000 | 60 |
| Housing | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €176K | €185K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €868 | €873 | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 18% | 14% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 58% | 53% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
The car took 78% of commuters, above Co. Donegal’s towns (73%) and Irish towns (66%) alike. The average trip to work takes 22.3 min. Home was the main workplace for 8.2% of workers at the census.
| Census 2022 | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 12% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 47% | 56% | 31% |
| Average trip | 22.3 min | 20.3 min | 27.6 min |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 63% | 63% | 68% |
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.
2.6% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (2.3%) and Irish towns (2%). Ages taken into account, Ballybofey-Stranorlar counts 113 people with a disability for every 100 predicted. Disability touches a quarter of the town’s population.
| Census 2022 | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 85% | 86% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 6% | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 25% | 25% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
0.2% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, about level with Irish towns (0%) and below Co. Donegal’s towns (0.7%). Hardly any of its homes sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.2% | 0.7% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
DEIS, the support scheme, covers 57% of them, above both Co. Donegal’s towns (33%) and Irish towns (35%). Within 3 km of Ballybofey-Stranorlar there are 7 schools (5 primary schools and 2 secondary schools). The nearest secondary, St Columbas College, is 0.6 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Mhuire B & C DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 489 | Catholic |
| St Columbas CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 983 | Catholic |
| Finn Valley College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 424 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 13% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +14% | +5% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 57% | 33% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No letters and no results: Ireland publishes none school by school.
A January night in Ballybofey-Stranorlar drops to 2.1°C on average, below Co. Donegal’s towns (2.6°C) and Irish towns (2.9°C) alike. Its year-round mean comes to 9.7°C. A year brings 1,395 mm of rain to Ballybofey-Stranorlar.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.1°C | 18.4°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,395 mm | 1,280 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 2.1°C | 2.6°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.7°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Its paths and tracks come to 0.4 km per km², about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (0.3 km per km²) and below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Among the protected sites near Ballybofey-Stranorlar is River Finn SAC. Also worth knowing: 55% of homes are a short walk (400 m) from green space. One park and 9 ha of green space in all: that is the town’s share.
| Outdoors | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 7.7% | 4% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 55% | 53% | 92% |
| Sea within 5 km | 0% | 12% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 0.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 6 mm. Set beside Ballybofey-Stranorlar’s forecast, a normal November runs from 4°C at night to 10°C by day. It stays dry from start to finish today, with wind of 12 km/h or less and a low near 7°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 454 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 276 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 277 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 389 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Those 65 and older account for 17% of residents. Daily Irish speakers outside school: 1%, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (1.3%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Born abroad: 23% of residents.
Women make up 51.5% of Ballybofey-Stranorlar
2,783 women and 2,623 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 22% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 15% | 13% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | 33% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.8% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 27% | 31% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Donegal and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
53% of voters turned out at the last local elections, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (53%) and above Irish towns (46%). Ballybofey-Stranorlar is run by Donegal County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government. No party holds a majority on Donegal County Council: Fianna Fáil lead with 10 of 37 seats, short of the 19 needed.
| Turnout | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 59% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
2.9% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Co. Donegal’s towns (5.3%) and Irish towns (3.4%). Its archaeology runs to 8 recorded sites. The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 27 buildings in Ballybofey-Stranorlar, each rated of regional importance.
| Heritage | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 50 | 113 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 8 | 18 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 2.9% | 5.3% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Per 1,000 residents, 32.3 crimes of all kinds are recorded a year. Violent crime ran at 6.6 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than Co. Donegal’s towns (9.9) yet higher than Irish towns (5.7). Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 4.5 per 1,000 residents a year. Of the graded crimes in Ballybofey-Stranorlar, assaults and harassment came up most often (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 | Ballybofey-Stranorlar | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 4.5 | 5.9 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 32.3 | 51.4 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 6.6 | 9.9 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 4.4 | 5.3 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Ballybofey-Stranorlar; these are the best known within 40 km.
National parkGlenveagh National Park30 km northwest
Castle · Office of Public WorksDonegal Castle27 km southwest
Castle · Office of Public WorksDoe Castle38 km north
CastleGlenveagh Castle29 km northwest
MuseumDonegal County Museum17 km north
CathedralSt Eunan's Cathedral14 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
9 notable people were born in Ballybofey-Stranorlar.
Frances Browne: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Joseph Barclay Pentland: Carlo Ernesto Liverati, CC BY 4.0
Urban area in Co. Donegal
5,406 people live in Ballybofey-Stranorlar, in the area of Donegal 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)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | 5,406 | — | C+ | A | C+ | C |
| Convoy | 1,702 | 10 | — | A− | B | D |
| Raphoe | 1,161 | 14 | — | A | A− | D− |
| Letterkenny | 22,549 | 18 | D | B | C− | C− |
| Lifford | 1,613 | 19 | — | A | C+ | D− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
8% mostly work from home, and 47% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Ballybofey-Stranorlar had 5,406 people at the 2022 census, up from 5,142 in 2016: 5.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Ballybofey-Stranorlar is 39.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
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).