Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 11,012 people live in this neighbourhood, in Dublin. 48% of households own their home with no mortgage.
A tough set of grades. Safety is its weak spot: 10.5 burglaries and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, and 13.3 violent crimes. Homes sell for a median €400,500, about 6.4 times what a household here earns in a year. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here (A−): on the way to work, 30% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. Put together, the subjects come to a D overall, better than 13% of Irish towns. Its place in the ranking is #105 of 116 in Co. Dublin. Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for jobs & income and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: commuting and work, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA.
This town's house price is the median for its whole Eircode routing key, town and countryside together: fewer than 30 sales in the town itself were recorded on the Property Price Register in 2023 to 2025, so its Cost Grade is less sure.
The 3 things Palmerston does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Palmerston 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 →
6 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
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 Palmerston. Best known first.
Big drawZooDublin Zoo3.2 km outside town, to the east · 1.3M visitors a year (2022)
Museum · Office of Public WorksKilmainham Gaol3.3 km outside town, to the east
MuseumIrish Museum of Modern Art3.9 km outside town, to the east
Castle · Office of Public WorksPhoenix Park Visitor Centre - Ashtown Castle2.1 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumNational Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks4.5 km outside town, to the east · 314K visitors a year
MuseumGuinness Storehouse4.8 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 Palmerston.
Recorded crime of every kind runs at 95.9 per 1,000 residents a year. Among the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Palmerston has more crime per resident than 92% of them. In 2023–2025, assaults and harassment led the graded crimes locally.
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 | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 13.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 10.5 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 95.9 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 25.6 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
For secondary school, the closest is Phobailscoil Iosolde, 0.4 km from the town. Within 3 km of Palmerston there are 80 schools (54 primary schools, 20 secondary schools and 6 special schools). Since 2019/20, pupils changed +1%, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (+4%) and Irish towns (+4%).
| 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 |
| Coláiste Cois Life GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 592 | Multi-denominational |
| Phobailscoil Iosolde DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 764 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 20% | 40% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +1% | +4% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 9% | 7% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 40% | 40% | 35% |
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.
Self-reported good health: 86% of Palmerston’s residents. Allowing for its ages, Palmerston has 124 residents in bad health per 100 expected, above Co. Dublin’s towns (103) and Irish towns (113) alike. 27% of residents in Palmerston live with a disability.
| Census 2022 | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 6.5% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 1.9% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 89% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Home ownership stands at just over three quarters of households. 13% live in social housing, above Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and close to Irish towns (13%).
| Housing | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 9% | 20% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 76% | 66% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €401K | €454K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 13% | 10% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure · The price is for the postcode area D20, not the town alone: too few sales inside the town carry a full address.
A year brings 785 mm of rain, close to Co. Dublin’s towns (770 mm) and below Irish towns (937 mm). In July, daytime highs in Palmerston average 20.1°C. Across the year, Palmerston averages 10.1°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.5°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 20.1°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.1°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 785 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 1 km, 8.6% of the land is woodland, above Co. Dublin’s towns (2.2%) and Irish towns (2.7%) alike. 7 parks and 860 ha of green space in all: that is Palmerston’s share. 94% of homes are within 400 m of green space.
| Outdoors | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 78.1 ha | 7.6 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Woodland within 1 km | 8.6% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 6.9 km per km² | 5.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 94% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Expect roughly 1 mm of rain today, wind picking up to 23 km/h, and a low of 8°C. In a typical November, days climb to about 11°C and nights sink to 4°C, the yardstick for Palmerston’s forecast. December follows with normal highs of 9°C and lows of 3°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 194 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 163 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 199 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 229 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
12% were born abroad, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (23%) and Irish towns (22%). People 65 and over make up 18% of the town. Under 15: 16% of residents.
51.8% of Palmerston’s residents are women
5,699 women and 5,313 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 17% | 8.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 19% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 35% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.1% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 25% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Turnout at the general election came to 56%. No party holds a majority on South Dublin County Council: Independent lead with 10 of 40 seats, short of the 21 needed. Palmerston is run by South Dublin County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government.
| Turnout | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 38% | 42% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 56% | 57% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
1.4% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than Co. Dublin’s towns (1.2%) yet lower than Irish towns (3.4%). Beneath and around the town lie 6 recorded archaeological sites. Palmerston’s built heritage counts 53 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
| Heritage | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 48 | 9 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 1.4% | 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 Palmerston is Sandymount Strand, 12 km away, rated sufficient in 2025. under 0.1% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, about level with both Co. Dublin’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | under 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0.3% | 0% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Driving is how just over three in five commuters got to work at the census. Unemployment stood at 10%, above Co. Dublin’s towns (7.3%) and Irish towns (9.2%) alike. The average trip to work takes 28.8 min.
| Census 2022 | Palmerston | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 65% | 71% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 10% | 7.3% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €62,800 | €72,780 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 28.8 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.
Palmerston’s built heritage counts 53 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 6 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
4 notable people were born in Palmerston.
Andy Boyle: Вячеслав Евдокимов, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Catherine Murphy: Urbanchum, CC BY 3.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmerston | 11,012 | — | D | C | D | C |
| Ronanstown | 11,130 | 1.3 | D− | B− | D− | D− |
| Ballyfermot | 3,632 | 1.5 | C− | B | D | D− |
| Carna | 2,897 | 1.6 | C− | B | D | D− |
| Cherry Orchard | 8,280 | 1.6 | D | A− | D | D− |
| Kylemore | 2,557 | 2.3 | D | B | D | D− |
| Carpenterstown | 20,967 | 2.5 | A | B− | C+ | A+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Palmerston had 11,012 people at the 2022 census, down from 11,146 in 2016: 1.2% fewer, while the median of Irish towns grew 7.6%.
The median age in Palmerston is 40.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Dublin
11,012 people live in Palmerston, in the area of South Dublin 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).