Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
5,792 people live in this town in Co. Dublin. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 32%.
One weak subject stands out against an otherwise good record. Its strongest is jobs & income: unemployment is 6%, and 78% of 15 to 64s have a job. Rathcoole grades A− overall, better than just over three quarters of Irish towns, and ranks #27 of 116 in Co. Dublin. People here tend to be in good health: for every 100 its ages would predict, 85 residents are in bad health and 95 have a disability. Crime is the sore point: 7.5 burglaries and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, and 5.3 violent crimes. Housing is expensive (C+): the median home sold for €415,000, 5.3 times the town’s median household income.
Figures: work and health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
The 3 things Rathcoole does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Rathcoole 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.
1% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rathcoole.
11 schools lie within 3 km of Rathcoole: 9 primary schools and 2 secondary schools. 18% of the schools teach through Irish, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (7%) and Irish towns (8%). The nearest secondary, Holy Family Community School, is 0.5 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Family National SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 671 | Catholic |
| Holy Family Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 998 | Inter-denominational |
| Scoil Chronain GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 354 | Catholic |
| Scoil Aoife CNS DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 342 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +23% | +4% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 40% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 18% | 7% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 9% | 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.
The average trip to work takes 30.3 min. The car took 71% of commuters, above Co. Dublin’s towns (52%) and Irish towns (66%) alike. Income per household averages €77,740 a year, before tax.
| Census 2022 | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 78% | 71% | 68% |
| Median household income | €77,740 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 31% | 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.
For its ages, Rathcoole has 95 people with a disability for every 100 expected, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (99) and Irish towns (106). Disability touches 19% of the town’s population. Family carers: 4.4% of the people in Rathcoole look after someone without pay.
| Census 2022 | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 92% | 89% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.4% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.4% | 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
In Rathcoole, an estimated 1.7% of homes exceed the radon reference level. Landslides: none of Rathcoole lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Rathcoole | 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.
Every year, 86.1 crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Thefts came to 37.8 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (18.5) and Irish towns (15.3). The commonest graded crime in Rathcoole was damage to property (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 | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 37.8 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 86.1 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Social housing holds 6% of households, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%). Private tenants account for 15% of households. Prices in Rathcoole have trailed Irish towns since 2010: the typical sale is up 57%, to €500K in 2025, against 77%.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €403,000 | 192 |
| The last 12 months | €527,500 | 100 |
| Housing | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 78% | 66% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 6% | 10% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €415K | €454K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
A year brings 869 mm of rain to Rathcoole. Across the year it averages 9.5°C, below both Co. Dublin’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). In addition, july afternoons in Rathcoole average 19.6°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 1.7°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.5°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.6°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 869 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
2 parks and 26 ha of green space in all: that is Rathcoole’s share. Its paths and tracks come to 1.6 km per km², lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (5.5 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). There are 4.4 ha of green space for every 1,000 people here.
| Outdoors | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 68% | 100% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.6 km per km² | 5.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | 0.2% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 10 mm. Rathcoole’s forecast, set beside its normal weather: in November a typical day reaches 10°C, and nights drop to 4°C. Around 1 mm of rain is due today, on a breeze of up to 24 km/h, with a low of 8°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 223 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 4°C | 179 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 212 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 256 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
19% of residents were born outside the country. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8% of residents, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (12%). Among adults, 40% have a degree.
50.2% of Rathcoole’s residents are women
2,907 women and 2,885 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 27% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 34% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 18% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 13% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 7.5% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 11% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 34% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.5% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 40% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
41% of voters turned out at the last local elections. Independent lead South Dublin County Council with 10 of 40 seats, but no party has a majority: 21 are needed. Local government for Rathcoole is South Dublin County Council alone; Ireland has a single tier.
| Turnout | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 41% | 42% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 56% | 57% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
0.9% of homes were built before 1919. Rathcoole’s built heritage counts 22 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
| Heritage | Rathcoole | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 38 | 9 | 48 |
| 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
Nothing to visit is mapped within 5 km of Rathcoole; these are the best known within 40 km.
CathedralSt Patrick's Cathedral15 km northeast
Big drawMuseumNational Museum of Ireland16 km northeast · 783K visitors a year
Big drawZooDublin Zoo14 km northeast · 1.3M visitors a year (2022)
MuseumNational Library of Ireland16 km northeast
Museum · Office of Public WorksKilmainham Gaol13 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Rathcoole’s built heritage counts 22 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 9 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
3 notable people were born in Rathcoole.
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Rathcoole had 5,792 people at the 2022 census, up from 4,402 in 2016: 31.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Rathcoole is 37, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
13% mostly work from home, and 31% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Dublin
Rathcoole has 5,792 people, in the area of South Dublin 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).