Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It grew by 13% between the 2016 and 2022 censuses. The town, home to 2,566 people, lies in Co. Kerry.
Kenmare’s strongest is safety (A): per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 3.8 violent crimes and 2.3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. This Co. Kerry town grades A− overall, better than just over four fifths of Irish towns. In the ranking it comes #59 of 320 Irish towns. Health is a strength too (B+): 97 residents in bad health and 105 with a disability for every 100 its ages predict. It takes 7.6 years of the median household income to buy the median home, at €305,000. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · health, work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
This town's Hazard risk Grade uses radon and landslides only: open LiDAR heights don't cover enough of its homes to measure flooding, so flood isn't counted for or against it.
The 3 things Kenmare does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Kenmare 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 →
19 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 Kenmare.
The overall crime rate is 21.2 per 1,000 residents a year. The commonest graded crime in Kenmare was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Theft, shown but not graded, ran at 2.6 per 1,000 a year, lower than both Co. Kerry’s towns (7.5) and Irish towns (15.3).
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 | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.3 | 4.6 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 21.2 | 55.9 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 3.8 | 7.8 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 2.6 | 7.5 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
0.3% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, about level with both Co. Kerry’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). By estimate, 2.4% of homes in Kenmare carry radon above the reference level. Only a handful of its homes, if any, sit low beside water.
| Share of homes | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 28% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.3% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Of the 5 towns in Co. Kerry, Kenmare has the smallest share in bad or very bad health: 2%. Self-reported good health: 88% of the town’s residents. Unpaid carers make up 5.8% of residents, above both Co. Kerry’s towns (5.4%) and Irish towns (5.4%).
| Census 2022 | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 5.8% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 88% | 86% | 88% |
| With a disability | 24% | 24% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2% | 2.4% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
A January night in Kenmare drops to 3.8°C on average, close to Co. Kerry’s towns (3.7°C) and above Irish towns (2.9°C). Across the year, Kenmare averages 10.9°C. In July, daytime highs in Kenmare average 19.6°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,856 mm | 1,326 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 3.8°C | 3.7°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.9°C | 10.9°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.6°C | 19.6°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
The sea makes up 6.4% of the area within 5 km, higher than both Co. Kerry’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). Protected nature near Kenmare includes Kenmare River SAC. Green space lies within 400 m of 100% of homes. There are 2 parks here; together its green space comes to 16 ha.
| Outdoors | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 7.2% | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 100% | 71% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 6.5% | 17% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 6.4% | 0% | 0% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Long-term averages for Kenmare put November days at 12°C and November nights at 6°C. Today stays dry but breezy, with wind up to 21 km/h and a low of 4°C. The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 7 mm.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 606 mm |
| Spring | 14°C | 6°C | 362 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 342 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 546 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Young adults of 15 to 24 are a tenth of the population. Children under 15 make up 21%, about level with Irish towns (20%) and above Co. Kerry’s towns (18%). 18% of residents have reached 65.
50.9% of Kenmare’s residents are women
1,306 women and 1,260 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 18% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 27% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 18% | 18% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 8.9% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 9.6% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7.5% | 6.4% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 35% | 29% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Kerry and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
The general election drew a turnout of 65%. Kerry County Council has no ruling majority: Independent hold 11 of its 33 seats, short of the 17 needed. Kenmare is run by Kerry County Council, its only council: Ireland has one tier of local government.
| Turnout | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 63% | 60% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 65% | 65% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 6.8% of the total, above Co. Kerry’s towns (4%) and Irish towns (3.4%) alike. There are 19 entries on the national archaeological record here. Kenmare’s built heritage counts 24 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
| Heritage | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 94 | 89 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 6.8% | 4% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 19 | 37 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Only one of the 5 towns in Co. Kerry costs more to buy into than Kenmare, whose median sale is €305,000. Owners make up 49% of households, below Co. Kerry’s towns (56%) and Irish towns (61%) alike. Renting privately is how 27% of households live.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €300,000 | 195 |
| The last 12 months | €335,000 | 61 |
| Housing | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 22% | 18% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 49% | 56% | 61% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,130 | €1,145 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 27% | 23% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
The average trip to work took 21 min, near Co. Kerry’s towns (21.9 min) and lower than Irish towns (27.6 min). Unemployment stands at 10%. 13% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census.
| Census 2022 | Kenmare | Co. Kerry | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 64% | 51% | 31% |
| Average trip | 21 min | 21.9 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €40,383 | €44,504 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 10% | 12% | 9.2% |
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.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Kenmare. Best known first.
Kenmare’s built heritage counts 24 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 19 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
10 notable people were born in Kenmare.
Charles Phibbs Jones: No 9 Army Film & Photographic Unit, Park, Roland (Sergeant), Public domain
Kenmare had 2,566 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,280 in 2016: 12.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Kenmare is 40.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Kerry
2,566 people live in Kenmare, in the area of Kerry 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).