Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 2,599 residents, it is a town in Co. Donegal. It grew by 23% between the 2016 and 2022 censuses.
What it saves you on housing, it gives back elsewhere. Jobs & income is its weak spot — 63% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 14%. Crime runs high (C−): recorded crime comes to 10.5 violent offences and 6.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Housing is within reach: the median home here went for €185,000, 5 times the median household income. The overall grade comes out at C, better than nearly a third of Irish towns. Its place in the ranking is #5 of 6 in Co. Donegal.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
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 Bundoran does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Bundoran 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 →
18 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bundoran.
Owners make up 53% of households, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (58%) and Irish towns (61%). Between 2010 and 2025 the typical sale price in Bundoran rose 62%, to €200K: slower than the 77% rise across Irish towns. Social renters account for 16% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €180,000 | 155 |
| The last 12 months | €220,000 | 57 |
| Housing | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €185K | €176K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €873 | €868 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 29% | 23% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 53% | 58% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Commutes averaged 21.5 min, higher than Co. Donegal’s towns (20.3 min) yet lower than Irish towns (27.6 min). Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 63% at the census. Walking, cycling and public transport carried just over a fifth of commuters at the census.
| Census 2022 | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 12% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 53% | 56% | 31% |
| Median household income | €36,930 | €41,333 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 21.5 min | 20.3 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.
For a swim, the nearest bathing water is Bundoran, 0.7 km from Bundoran, rated excellent in 2025. By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred locally has radon above the reference level. No part of Bundoran is mapped as high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0.7% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 4.8% | 3.5% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
More of the graded crimes in Bundoran were assaults and harassment than anything else (2023–2025). Every year, 69.8 crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Bundoran has more crime per resident than 71% of them.
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 | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 10.5 | 6.6 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 69.8 | 46.8 | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 6.4 | 4.9 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 7.9 | 4.4 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Bundoran’s share in bad or very bad health, 2.5%, is the second highest of the 6 towns in Co. Donegal. Disability, age-adjusted: 116 for every 100 expected locally. At the census, 85% of people in Bundoran called their health good or very good, about level with Co. Donegal’s towns (86%) and below Irish towns (88%). In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 86% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2% |
| With a disability | 25% | 25% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.6% | 6% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Over twelve months, Bundoran averages 10.0°C. A year brings 1,232 mm of rain, below Co. Donegal’s towns (1,351 mm) but above Irish towns (937 mm). On a January night, the temperature in Bundoran falls to about 2.9°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.4°C | 18.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,232 mm | 1,351 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.9°C | 2.4°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 5 km, 5.1% of the land is protected nature, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (4.3%) and Irish towns (1.8%). Protected nature near Bundoran includes Donegal Bay SPA. Per 1,000 residents, Bundoran has 1.7 ha of green space.
| Outdoors | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 35% | 5.8% | 0% |
| Near a park | 44% | 55% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 2% | 4.9% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 5.1% | 4.3% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Judged by the averages, Bundoran sees November days reach 11°C and nights fall to 5°C. Expect a dry, breezy day today, the wind reaching 21 km/h and the temperature dipping to 6°C. December follows with normal highs of 9°C and lows of 3°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 364 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 239 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 274 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 354 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
11% of residents are 15 to 24, below both Co. Donegal’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (12%). The under-15s are 20% of the population here. Graduates make up 31% of adults.
52.9% of Bundoran’s residents are women
1,375 women and 1,224 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 22% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 26% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 9.1% | 15% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 17% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.7% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 31% | 27% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Donegal and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Bundoran answers to one council, Donegal County Council; Ireland has no town tier. The general election drew a turnout of 61%. Fianna Fáil lead Donegal County Council with 10 of 37 seats, but no party has a majority: 19 are needed.
| Turnout | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 59% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
4% of its homes were built before 1919, between Co. Donegal’s towns (5.3%) and Irish towns (3.4%). 18 archaeological sites are on the record. Bundoran’s built heritage counts 25 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
| Heritage | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 96 | 113 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 18 | 17 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
33% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, below Co. Donegal’s towns (43%) and close to Irish towns (35%). Magh Ene College is the nearest secondary school, 0.2 km away. Within 3 km of Bundoran there are 3 schools (2 primary schools and 1 secondary school).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Masters N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 289 | Catholic |
| Magh Ene CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 333 | Inter-denominational |
| St Macartans Central DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 276 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Bundoran | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 13% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +1% | +10% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 33% | 43% | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Bundoran. Best known first.
MuseumBallyshannon and District Museum4.8 km outside town, to the northeastWater parkWater parkWaterworld Bundoranin townTheme parkTheme parkBundoran Adventure Parkin townVisitor farmVisitor farmCampview Farm2.9 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumThe Water Wheels4.6 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Bundoran’s built heritage counts 25 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 18 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
4 notable people were born in Bundoran.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bundoran | 2,599 | — | C | A− | C− | C− |
| Kinlough Leitrim | 1,196 | 3.4 | — | A− | B+ | C− |
| Ballyshannon | 2,246 | 6.5 | — | A− | C | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Bundoran had 2,599 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,120 in 2016: 22.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Bundoran is 38.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 20% of residents are under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Donegal
2,599 people live in Bundoran, 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)
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).