Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 6,597 people, this town lies in Co. Galway. Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 11%.
Police record more crime here than in most towns (D): for every 1,000 residents, gardaí record 9.5 violent crimes and 9.1 burglaries or acts of criminal damage a year. Buying a home costs less than in most towns: the median sale, €202,000, comes to 4.1 times what the median household here earns. Put together, the subjects come to a C overall, ranking #230 of 320 Irish towns. Set against the rest, it does better than 28% of Irish towns.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
The 3 things Ballinasloe does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ballinasloe 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 →
48 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballinasloe.
16% live in social housing, above both Co. Galway’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%). Ballinasloe is the cheapest of the 20 towns in Co. Galway: its median sale is €202,000. In 2010 the typical home in Ballinasloe sold for €163K; by 2025 it was €195K, 20% more. The private rented sector houses 30% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €200,000 | 521 |
| The last 12 months | €227,500 | 202 |
| Housing | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €202K | €373K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,149 | €1,368 | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 16% | 10% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 30% | 36% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
The graded crime recorded most in Ballinasloe was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). In all, 89.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, above both Co. Galway’s towns (67.8) and Irish towns (54.3). Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Ballinasloe has more crime per resident than just over four fifths of them.
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 | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 9.1 | 5.8 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 89.5 | 67.8 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 9.5 | 7.9 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 11.1 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Working from home was the norm for 5.6% of workers at the census. In work: 60% of residents aged 15 to 64, below both Co. Galway’s towns (68%) and Irish towns (68%). The commute to work averages 23 min.
| Census 2022 | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 15% | 9.4% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 54% | 37% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 60% | 68% | 68% |
| Average trip | 23 min | 24 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.
DEIS, the support scheme, covers 50% of them, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (25%) and Irish towns (35%). 6 schools lie within 3 km of Ballinasloe: 4 primary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 special school. The nearest secondary, Clonfert College, is 1.8 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Muire Gan Smal Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 445 | Catholic |
| Clonfert College DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 926 | Catholic |
| S.N. Ui Cheithearnaigh GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 193 | Catholic |
| Scoil an Chroi Naofa DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 293 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 33% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 25% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 17% | 14% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +0% | +2% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Results by school aren’t published in Ireland, so the cards carry none.
Just over a quarter of residents have a disability, above Co. Galway’s towns (22%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. Weighed against its ages, bad health in Ballinasloe runs at 135 per 100 expected. Asked at the census, 85% of residents of Ballinasloe said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2022 | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 1.8% | 2% |
| With a disability | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
July afternoons reach 19.7°C here, higher than Co. Galway’s towns (19.2°C) and near Irish towns (19.9°C). Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Ballinasloe is 10.0°C. A year brings 1,023 mm of rain to Ballinasloe.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.3°C | 3.0°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.2°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,023 mm | 1,265 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Walkers have 0.3 km per km² of paths and tracks, below both Co. Galway’s towns (2.3 km per km²) and Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Protected nature near Ballinasloe includes River Suck Callows SPA. The town has 1.5 ha of green space for every 1,000 residents.
| Outdoors | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 53% | 81% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 9.6% | 15% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.3 km per km² | 2.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 0% | 21% | 0% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Ballinasloe’s November average makes a useful yardstick: afternoons reach 11°C, nights fall to 4°C. Expect little more than a sprinkle today, wind picking up to 20 km/h, and a low of 5°C. The warmest afternoon ahead comes on Friday, at 10°C; the coolest tops out at 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 2°C | 299 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 207 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 233 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 284 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
1% speak Irish daily outside school, below both Co. Galway’s towns (2.3%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 11% of the town. Graduates make up 29% of adults.
52.3% of Ballinasloe’s residents are women
3,452 women and 3,145 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 16% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 15% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 22% | 24% |
| 65+ | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 16% | 7.3% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 10% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 34% | 28% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.7% | 5.4% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 29% | 49% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Galway and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Fine Gael lead Galway County Council with 13 of 39 seats, but no party has a majority: 20 are needed. 51% of voters turned out at the last local elections, higher than both Co. Galway’s towns (45%) and Irish towns (46%). Ballinasloe is run by Galway County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government.
| Turnout | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 66% | 58% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 51% | 45% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
7.2% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Co. Galway’s towns (0.9%) and Irish towns (3.4%). There are 48 entries on the national archaeological record here. 84 of Ballinasloe’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance.
| Heritage | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 127 | 15 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 48 | 17 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 7.2% | 0.9% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
By estimate, 2.6% of homes in Ballinasloe carry radon above the reference level. A flood relief scheme, the Ballinasloe (Derrymullen) Flood Relief Scheme, protects parts of the town. The ground under Ballinasloe carries no high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Ballinasloe | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 24% | 3.7% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 100% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Ballinasloe; with them, the best known within 40 km.
Abbey or prioryClontuskert Priory3.7 km outside town, to the south
Historic house · Office of Public WorksClonmacnoise16 km east
CathedralClonfert Cathedral15 km southeast
Castle · Office of Public WorksPortumna Castle and Gardens27 km south
CastleRedwood Castle21 km south
CastleBirr Castle33 km southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
84 of Ballinasloe’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 48 archaeological sites in and around the town.
54 notable people were born in Ballinasloe.
Mary Harney: Department of Health and Human Services, Public domain · Conor Cooney: Seaninryan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Damien Hayes: Seaninryan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Richard J. Mecredy: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain · James Skehill: Seaninryan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ballinasloe had 6,597 people at the 2022 census, up from 5,969 in 2016: 10.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Ballinasloe is 38.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Galway
6,597 people live in Ballinasloe, in the area of Galway 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).