Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
5,445 residents make their home in this neighbourhood in Galway.
The everyday basics are strong; the price of a home is the catch. Its best grade is for health: for every 100 its ages would predict, 68 residents are in bad health and 90 have a disability. Salthill’s overall A puts it #1 of 20 in Co. Galway. That leaves it better than 94% of Irish towns. Safety is a strength too: recorded crime comes to 3 violent offences and 2.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Buying in is costly: prices run to a median €457,300, 7 times local household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D): an estimated 17% of its homes exceed the radon reference level.
Figures: health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA.
The 3 things Salthill does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Salthill 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 →
8 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
5% 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 Salthill. Best known first.
MuseumGalway City Museum800 m outside town, to the northeast · 162K visitors a year (2011)
CathedralGalway Cathedral900 m outside town, to the northeast
GardenEyre Square1.3 km outside town, to the northeast
ZooGalway Atlantaquaria100 m outside town, to the southeast
CastleLynch's Castle1 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Salthill.
Unpaid caring falls to 6.4% of Salthill’s residents. In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card. At the census, 1.5% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2022 | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 6.4% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 90% | 88% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
| With a disability | 22% | 23% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Social housing holds 1% of households, lower than both Co. Galway’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%). No town in Co. Galway costs more to buy into than Salthill, at €457,300, the highest of 20. The private rented sector houses 35% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €447,500 | 198 |
| The last 12 months | €560,000 | 66 |
| Housing | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 1% | 10% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €457K | €373K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 35% | 36% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 60% | 52% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, close to Co. Galway’s towns (100%) and above Irish towns (0%). The nearest bathing water to Salthill is Grattan Road Beach, 0.9 km away, rated sufficient in 2025. The ground under Salthill carries no high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 39% | 3.7% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 100% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Every kind together came to 23.1 per 1,000 residents a year, below Co. Galway’s towns (89.5) and Irish towns (54.3) alike. Among the graded crimes in Salthill, the most frequent was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Per 1,000 residents, 3 violent crimes are recorded each year.
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 | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.7 | 7.2 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 23.1 | 89.5 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 3 | 9.5 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 5.8 | 18.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
At the census, nearly half of commuters went by car. Commutes averaged 23.5 min, near Co. Galway’s towns (24 min) and lower than Irish towns (27.6 min). Before tax, the average household brings in €65,720 a year.
| Census 2022 | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €65,720 | €53,360 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 23.5 min | 24 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 8.1% | 9.7% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 70% | 68% | 68% |
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 secondary school, the closest is Dominican College, 0.6 km from the town. DEIS, the support scheme, covers nearly a quarter of them, below Co. Galway’s towns (29%) and Irish towns (35%) alike. Of the 30 schools nearby, 6 take a multi-denominational ethos.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh Gaeltacht schoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 643 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Einde DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 808 | Catholic |
| Coláiste na Coiribe Gaeltacht schoolTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 711 | Multi-denominational |
| Galway Community College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 395 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 13% | 15% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 23% | 29% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +5% | +2% | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 33% | 29% | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
Midsummer afternoons in Salthill peak at about 19.3°C. Across the year it averages 10.5°C, close to both Co. Galway’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). The coldest nights come in January, when Salthill averages a low of 3.2°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,282 mm | 1,257 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.3°C | 19.2°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.2°C | 3.0°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
A short walk to green space: 100% of homes, above both Co. Galway’s towns (79%) and Irish towns (92%). Protected nature near Salthill includes Galway Bay Complex SAC. This Co. Galway town counts 7 parks, adding up to 21 ha of green space.
| Outdoors | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 46% | 20% | 0% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 15% | 14% | 1.8% |
| Near a park | 100% | 79% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 3.3 km per km² | 1.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Expect a dry, breezy day today, the wind reaching 24 km/h and the temperature dipping to 5°C. Tuesday stands out as the wet day ahead, with roughly 4 mm. By December, a normal day reaches 9°C and a normal night 3°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 379 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 246 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 291 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 367 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
20% of residents are 65 or over, above both Co. Galway’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (14%). Children under 15 count for 13% of the people here. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 13% of the town.
54.7% of Salthill’s residents are women
2,980 women and 2,465 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 15% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 31% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 21% | 24% |
| 65+ | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 3.7% | 7.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 5.6% | 10% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 22% | 31% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.4% | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 64% | 46% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Galway and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Turnout at the last local elections was 47%, about level with Irish towns (46%) and above Co. Galway’s towns (45%). Salthill answers to one council, Galway City Council; Ireland has no town tier. Independent lead Galway City Council with 4 of 18 seats, but no party has a majority: 10 are needed.
| Turnout | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 47% | 45% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 5% of the total, above Co. Galway’s towns (0.9%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike. Its archaeology runs to 8 recorded sites. 38 of Salthill’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance.
| Heritage | Salthill | Co. Galway | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 70 | 15 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 5% | 0.9% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 8 | 21 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
38 of Salthill’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 8 archaeological sites in and around the town.
2 notable people were born in Salthill; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Séamus Brennan: Flickr user "Justsplit.com", CC BY 2.0 · Thomas Grady: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salthill | 5,445 | — | A | D | A | A |
| Taylor's Hill | 3,141 | 0.9 | C− | D | B | C |
| Claddagh | 2,755 | 1.4 | C | D | C− | B |
| Newcastle | 4,032 | 1.8 | D | D | C− | C+ |
| Rahoon | 3,486 | 2.2 | C+ | D | B | B− |
| Knocknacarra | 18,398 | 2.2 | B+ | D | A | A− |
| Woodquay and Nuns Island | 4,948 | 2.2 | C− | D | C− | B− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
3.8% of residents speak Irish every day outside school, against 1.1% in the median of Irish towns; 52% can speak it.
Salthill had 5,445 people at the 2022 census, down from 5,730 in 2016: 5% fewer, while the median of Irish towns grew 7.6%.
The median age in Salthill is 40.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Neighbourhood in Galway
5,445 people live in Salthill, in the area of Galway City Council. TownRatings splits Galway 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).