Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 26% of the population. In Dublin, this neighbourhood has 8,192 residents.
Howth’s best grade is for health — bad health runs at 59 and disability at 85 per 100 expected for its ages. The neighbourhood grades B overall, better than just over three fifths of Irish towns. It ranks #126 of 320 Irish towns. Buying in is costly: it takes 9.3 years of the median household income to buy the median home, at €803,500. Hazard risk is higher than most: almost no homes are above the radon reference level. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for safety and B− for walkability.
Figures: health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
The 3 things Howth does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Howth 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 →
94 buildings on the National Inventory inside Howth, 15 of them of national importance.
The record adds 35 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 14%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Howth. Best known first.
CastleHowth Castlein town
MuseumNational Transport Museum of Irelandin town
MuseumYe Olde Hurdy-Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radioin town
GardenSaint Anne's Park4.7 km outside town, to the westFortFortSutton Martello Towerin townAttractionAttractionThe Old Courthousein townPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Howth.
Renting privately is how 11% of households live. Social housing holds 2% of households, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%). A buyer in Howth paid 7% more for a typical home in 2025 than in 2010: €740K against €690K.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €740,000 | 168 |
| The last 12 months | €880,000 | 65 |
| Housing | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €804K | €450K | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 86% | 66% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 2% | 10% | 13% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €2,392 | €2,063 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
At the census, 1.5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (1.9%) and Irish towns (2%). Howth ranks 3rd of the 40 Irish towns nearest its size on the Health Grade. Family carers: 7.7% of the people in Howth look after someone without pay.
| Census 2022 | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 7.7% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 91% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
The nearest secondary, Sutton Park School, is 0.8 km away. Single-sex secondaries: 29%, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (39%). Within 3 km of Howth there are 27 schools (16 primary schools, 7 secondary schools and 4 special schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Fintans N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 431 | Catholic |
| Pobalscoil NeasáinLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 831 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelcholáiste Reachrann GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 453 | Inter-denominational |
| Grange Community College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 553 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 11% | 40% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 11% | 7% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 29% | 40% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +7% | +4% | +4% |
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.
28% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Households had €86,130 a year before tax, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (€72,400) and Irish towns (€57,760). The car carried 52% of commuters at the census.
| Census 2022 | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €86,130 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 35 min | 31.1 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 30% | 23% | 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.
13% of homes stand low near a river, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0.5%). Claremont Beach, 1.4 km from Howth, is the closest bathing water; it was rated sufficient in 2025. Under 1% of homes here are estimated to have radon above the reference level.
| Share of homes | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 13% | 0% | 0.5% |
| Low-lying near the coast | 1.2% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
The year’s mean temperature is 10.0°C, below Co. Dublin’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C) alike. Howth gets 743 mm of rain a year. Across the year, Howth now averages 0.2°C more than it did in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.9°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 743 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 3.0°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
The sea makes up 75% of the area within 5 km, above both Co. Dublin’s towns (3.7%) and Irish towns (0%). Among the protected sites near Howth is Baldoyle Bay SAC. One park and 13 ha of green space in all: that is the town’s share. Also worth knowing: a park or green space is within 400 m for nine in ten homes.
| Outdoors | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected nature within 5 km | 18% | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 75% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 2.2 km per km² | 5.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 90% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 6 mm for the day. In Howth, the November norm is a high of 11°C and a low of 5°C. Expect roughly 1 mm of rain today, wind picking up to 31 km/h, and a low of 10°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 175 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 5°C | 152 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 194 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 222 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
18% of residents were born abroad. Children under 15 make up 17%, close to Co. Dublin’s towns (17%) and below Irish towns (20%). Graduates make up 54% of adults.
Women make up 51.4% of Howth
4,210 women and 3,982 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 26% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 5.1% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 8.1% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 27% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.6% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 54% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
45% of voters turned out at the last local elections, above Co. Dublin’s towns (42%) and close to Irish towns (46%). There is just one council for Howth, Fingal County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. Independent lead Fingal County Council with 7 of 40 seats, but no party has a majority: 21 are needed.
| Turnout | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 60% | 57% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 45% | 42% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
14.3% of its homes were built before 1919, above Co. Dublin’s towns (1.2%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike. 35 archaeological sites are on the record. 94 of Howth’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 15 rank of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 115 | 9 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 14.3% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 35 | 6 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Violent crime ran at 3.8 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (5.3) and Irish towns (5.7). Recorded crime of every kind runs at 32.7 per 1,000 residents a year. In 2023–2025, damage to property led the graded crimes in Howth. Each year, 5.4 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents.
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 | Howth | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 32.7 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 5.4 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 3.8 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 11.7 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
94 of Howth’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 15 rank of national or international importance. Archaeologists have recorded 35 sites here.
4 notable people were born in Howth.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howth | 8,192 | — | B | D− | B | A+ |
| Sutton | 5,789 | 3.7 | B+ | D− | B | A |
| Baldoyle | 7,864 | 4.2 | B | C− | B | B+ |
| Raheny | 8,734 | 5.2 | B+ | D | B | A− |
| Clongriffin | 7,438 | 5.5 | B− | C+ | C | C+ |
| Donaghmede | 9,616 | 5.6 | C | C− | C+ | C+ |
| Portmarnock | 10,750 | 6.5 | A+ | D− | A | A+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Howth is 47.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Howth had 8,192 people at the 2022 census, up from 8,090 in 2016: 1.3% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Dublin
Howth has 8,192 people, in the area of Fingal County 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).