Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a neighbourhood of 3,632 residents in Dublin.
Health lags: bad health runs at 180 and disability at 136 per 100 expected for its ages. Fewer journeys need a car. 36% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). Half the homes sold for more than €309,000, a price of 6.3 times what the median household earns. All told, that adds up to a C− overall, better than 15% of Irish towns. In the ranking it comes #271 of 320 Irish towns. Safety is weaker too — violent crime runs at 7.9 per 1,000 residents a year, burglary and criminal damage at 10.5.
Figures: commuting and health, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · 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 Ballyfermot does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ballyfermot 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 →
1% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Ballyfermot. Best known first.
Big drawZooDublin Zoo3.1 km outside town, to the east · 1.3M visitors a year (2022)
Museum · Office of Public WorksKilmainham Gaol2.6 km outside town, to the east
MuseumIrish Museum of Modern Art3.3 km outside town, to the east
Castle · Office of Public WorksPhoenix Park Visitor Centre - Ashtown Castle2.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumNational Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks4.1 km outside town, to the east · 314K visitors a year
MuseumGuinness Storehouse4.1 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballyfermot.
At the census, 3.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (1.9%) and Irish towns (2%). Among the 40 Irish towns closest to its size, Ballyfermot ranks 38th on the Health Grade, near the foot. Also worth knowing: 82% of people in Ballyfermot rate their own health good or very good.
| Census 2022 | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 89% | 88% |
| With a disability | 30% | 21% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.6% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Recorded crime of every kind runs at 76.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Of the graded crimes in Ballyfermot, 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 | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 10.5 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 7.9 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 76.1 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
The nearest secondary, St. Seton's Secondary School, is 0.4 km away. 3% of the schools teach through Irish, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). Within 3 km of Ballyfermot there are 58 schools (37 primary schools, 14 secondary schools and 7 special schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Patricks N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 867 | Catholic |
| Castleknock Community CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 1,318 | Multi-denominational |
| Gaelscoil na Camoige GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 215 | Catholic |
| Phobailscoil Iosolde DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 764 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 57% | 40% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 3% | 7% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 29% | 40% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +2% | +4% | +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.
Short trips: 32% under 15 minutes, above Co. Dublin’s towns (23%) and close to Irish towns (31%). 5.1% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. A trip to work takes 27 min on average.
| Census 2022 | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €48,670 | €72,780 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 66% | 71% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 7.3% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 27 min | 31.1 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.
772 mm of rain falls in a year, about level with Co. Dublin’s towns (770 mm) and below Irish towns (937 mm). The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 20.1°C in Ballyfermot. Midwinter nights in Ballyfermot bottom out at 2.6°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 20.1°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| January low | 2.6°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 772 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.2°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 1 km, 8.7% of the land is woodland, above Co. Dublin’s towns (2.2%) and Irish towns (2.7%) alike. 5 parks, 757 ha of green space: that is the measure of Ballyfermot’s parkland. A park or green space is within 400 m for 100% of homes.
| Outdoors | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 208.4 ha | 7.6 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Woodland within 1 km | 8.7% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 6.8 km per km² | 5.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 100% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 7 mm for the day. Ballyfermot’s November average makes a useful yardstick: afternoons reach 11°C, nights fall to 5°C. Today brings about 1 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 24 km/h; the low is 9°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 192 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 161 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 194 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 225 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
People 65 and over make up 17% of the town, above Co. Dublin’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (14%) alike. One measure of its mix: 6.7% of residents were born abroad. Under 15: 19% of residents.
49.4% of Ballyfermot’s residents are women
1,796 women and 1,836 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 25% | 8.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 20% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.9% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 13% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Turnout at the last local elections was 40%. Dublin City Council is the one council for Ballyfermot; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. With 11 of 63 seats, Fine Gael are the largest group on Dublin City Council, short of the 32 a majority needs.
| Turnout | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 49% | 57% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 40% | 42% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Relative to its size, Ballyfermot keeps 8 buildings on the inventory per 10,000 residents, below Co. Dublin’s towns (10) and Irish towns (48) alike. Homes built before 1919 account for 0.9% of the housing.
| Heritage | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 8 | 10 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 0 | 7 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 0.9% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
The nearest bathing water to Ballyfermot is Sandymount Strand, 11 km away, rated sufficient in 2025. Landslides: none of Ballyfermot lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Low ground by water holds almost none of its homes.
| Share of homes | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 0% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Renting cost €1,928 a month on average, lower than Co. Dublin’s towns (€2,066) yet higher than Irish towns (€1,606). 8% of households are private tenants. Between 2010 and 2025 the typical sale price in Ballyfermot rose 108%, to €330K: faster than the 77% rise across Irish towns.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €307,000 | 311 |
| The last 12 months | €344,000 | 84 |
| Housing | Ballyfermot | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 24% | 10% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 8% | 20% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €309K | €454K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,928 | €2,066 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Ballyfermot’s built heritage counts 3 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
4 notable people were born in Ballyfermot.
Derek Keating: Trocaire, CC BY 2.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyfermot | 3,632 | — | C− | B | D | D− |
| Carna | 2,897 | 0.6 | C− | B | D | D− |
| Kylemore | 2,557 | 0.8 | D | B | D | D− |
| Cherry Orchard | 8,280 | 1.1 | D | A− | D | D− |
| Chapelizod | 4,862 | 1.2 | B− | B− | D | B− |
| Decies | 2,713 | 1.3 | C− | B | D | D− |
| Palmerston | 11,012 | 1.5 | D | C | D | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Ballyfermot had 3,632 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,588 in 2016: 1.2% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Ballyfermot is 38.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
5% mostly work from home, and 32% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Neighbourhood in Dublin
Ballyfermot has 3,632 people, in the area of Dublin City Council. TownRatings splits Dublin into neighbourhoods made from the CSO’s Electoral Divisions, named from Tailte Éireann’s gazetteer, so each has figures of its own.
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).