Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,613 in Co. Donegal.
Lifford’s strongest is cost of living: buying the median home, at €143,000, takes 4.5 times the town’s median household income. The weak point is health: bad health runs at 178 and disability at 129 per 100 expected for its ages. Jobs & income is weaker too: among 15 to 64s, 52% are in work; unemployment stands at 23%. It also trails on walkability: on the way to work, 13% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health, work and commuting, CSO Census 2022. Irish towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Lifford has subject grades only.
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 Lifford does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Lifford 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 →
9 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lifford.
7% of workers worked mainly from home, below both Co. Donegal’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (11%). The unemployment rate comes to 23%. On average, the journey to work lasts 23.5 min.
| Census 2022 | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 52% | 63% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 23% | 13% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €31,959 | €39,838 | €57,760 |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 50% | 56% | 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.
At the census, 28% of people here had a disability, above Co. Donegal’s towns (25%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. Asked at the census, 83% of residents of Lifford said they were in good or very good health. In the HSE West and North West health region, just over a third of people hold a medical card. 3.3% of residents report bad or very bad health.
| Census 2022 | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 83% | 86% | 88% |
| With a disability | 28% | 25% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.5% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Rent averaged €901 a month, above Co. Donegal’s towns (€871) but below Irish towns (€1,606). Private renters make up nearly a fifth of households. The owner-occupied share of households is 56%.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €143,000 | 191 |
| The last 12 months | €158,500 | 62 |
| Housing | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 24% | 15% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €143K | €181K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €901 | €871 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 19% | 24% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
8% of homes stand low near a river, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (4.2%) and Irish towns (0.5%). On high landslide susceptibility: 0.2% of homes, near both Co. Donegal’s towns (0.5%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 8% | 4.2% | 0.5% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Pupil numbers changed −6% since 2019/20, below Co. Donegal’s towns (+7%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike. Within 3 km of Lifford there are 3 schools (3 primary schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Patricks N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 162 | Catholic |
| Scoil Náisiúnta Muire Gan Smál DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 124 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 100% | 38% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −6% | +7% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 7% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
The year’s mean temperature is 9.7°C, near Co. Donegal’s towns (9.7°C) and lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). Lifford gets 1,070 mm of rain a year. Winter lows in Lifford average 2.2°C in January.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.1°C | 18.6°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 2.2°C | 2.5°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,070 mm | 1,316 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.7°C | 9.7°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected nature near Lifford includes River Finn SAC. 52% of homes are within 400 m of green space. Woodland covers 0.9% of the land within 1 km, below both Co. Donegal’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (2.7%).
| Outdoors | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 52% | 54% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.9% | 4.5% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.8 km per km² | 0.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 0% | 8.7% | 0% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Today stays dry, with only a light wind of up to 13 km/h and a low of 3°C. For warmth, Thursday is the pick of the days ahead at 10°C; the chilliest afternoon gets to just 6°C. A typical November day reaches 10°C and drops to 4°C at night: the forecast for Lifford is set against that.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 323 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 213 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 242 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 292 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
1.3% speak Irish daily outside school, higher than both Co. Donegal’s towns (1.2%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Those 65 and older account for 16% of residents. Foreign-born residents make up just over a quarter of the population.
51.9% of Lifford’s residents are women
837 women and 776 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 24% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 22% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.5% | 6.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 17% | 29% | 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. Donegal County Council is the one council for Lifford; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. The town sits in the Lifford-Stranorlar local electoral area, which elects 6 councillors.
| Turnout | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 53% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 59% | 59% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Before 1919: that is when 7.5% of homes were built. The Sites and Monuments Record lists 9 sites here, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (18) and Irish towns (11). 19 of Lifford’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 1 rank of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 118 | 105 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 7.5% | 4.7% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 9 | 18 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
For its size, Lifford records more crime per resident than 86% of the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Every kind together came to 35.1 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Co. Donegal’s towns (49.1) and Irish towns (54.3). Of the graded crimes here, damage to property 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 | Lifford | Co. Donegal | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 35.1 | 49.1 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 5.6 | 8.2 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 5.8 | 4.9 | 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 Lifford; these are the best known within 40 km.
CathedralSt Eunan's Cathedral8.3 km northwest
CastleBurt Castle21 km north
MuseumDonegal County Museum21 km northwest
CastleGlenveagh Castle38 km northwest
Historic houseGlebe House and Gallery33 km northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
19 of Lifford’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 1 rank of national or international importance. 9 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
13 notable people were born in Lifford.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifford | 1,613 | — | — | A | C+ | D− |
| Raphoe | 1,161 | 8.3 | — | A | A− | D− |
| Convoy | 1,702 | 12 | — | A− | B | D |
| Newtowncunningham | 1,192 | 18 | — | A− | A | C− |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | 5,406 | 19 | C+ | A | C+ | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Lifford had 1,613 people at the 2022 census, down from 1,626 in 2016: 0.8% fewer, while the median of Irish towns grew 7.6%.
The median age in Lifford is 39.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
79% of working residents drive to work and 13% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%).
Urban area in Co. Donegal
Lifford has 1,613 people, 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).