Photo: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0More people in Tralee report bad health than its ages would predict
Fewer people than usual call their health good in Tralee: 86%, against 89% across Irish towns, and 141 report it bad for every 100 its ages predict. Bad health and disability together give Tralee a Health Grade of C+, #214 of 321 Irish towns.
What stands out about health in Tralee
Less healthy than the rest of Co. Kerry
Tralee has 141 people in bad health per 100 expected for its ages, but Co. Kerry as a whole has only 85: the rest of the county is healthier for its ages than the town. Among Ireland’s 26 counties, Co. Kerry has the 1st lowest figure. Health Grade ↓
More people report bad health than its ages predict
141 people in Tralee report bad or very bad health for every 100 its ages would predict (2.7% of residents, as answered). That is more than in 73% of Irish towns. Its 90% range, 132 to 150, stays above 100, so chance alone is unlikely to explain it. Health Grade ↓
More people out of work through illness or disability
7.2% of Tralee’s residents aged 15 and over said they couldn’t work because of illness or disability, against 5.1% in the typical Irish town. Census health ↓
From the CSO: Census 2022 health set against Ireland’s rates at each age and sex, household income for 2022, and deaths by county.
Tralee grades C+ for health
Census 2022: each measure per 100 expected for the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates.
Per 100 expected · 2022
The grade averages the two, each ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents. Both measures sit below the middle town’s, so neither lifts Tralee. Its place: #214 of 321 Irish towns.
How sure: Both figures count every resident at the 2022 Census, not a sample, but chance still moves them in a small place.
How the grade works
A ratio of 100 means as many people as Ireland’s rates at each age and sex would predict for the town’s own residents; 120 means a fifth more, 80 a fifth fewer. Bad health is answering “bad” or “very bad” to the Census question on general health; disability is a long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great or some extent. Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded: too few people to judge.
86% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2022, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 141 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate. 5.8% give regular unpaid care (5.4% in the typical Irish town), and 18% smoke (16%).
The town beside its county’s towns and all Irish towns
| Share of residents | Tralee | Towns in Co. Kerry | Irish towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 86% | 89% |
| Fair health | 12% | 11% | 9.5% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.7% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Disability, to any extent | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Unable to work: illness or disability (15+) | 7.2% | 6.6% | 4.7% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| Smokers | 18% | 18% | 16% |
9% less bad health than towns with its income
Each dot is one of 321 Irish towns of 2,500 or more; the line is the trend.
Richer towns report less bad health for their ages: the line follows 321 Irish towns (correlation −0.74). It puts a town with Tralee’s household income, €42,580, at about 154 per 100 expected; Tralee is at 141. Income doesn’t change the grade.
Household income: CSO, 2022. Bad health: Census 2022. The ratios, the estimate for towns without their own income figure and the line are TownRatings calculations.
28% of people in HSE South West hold a medical card
Free care by health region, and how many homes have a car to reach it.
In HSE South West, 28% of people held a medical card in 2022 and 11% a GP visit card; across the six health regions the medical-card share runs from 27% to 34%.
More homes here have no car: 22% of households in Tralee, against 17% in the typical Irish town. Ireland publishes no travel times to hospitals, and a household without a car relies on lifts or public transport to reach one.
Medical and GP visit cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region. Cars: CSO Census 2022.
Life expectancy in the South-West region: 83.2 for women, 79.1 for men
What Ireland publishes above the town: deaths by county and life expectancy by region.
Deaths in Co. Kerry, 2020–2024
Deaths a year per 100,000, age-standardised · 2020–2024
Co. Kerry sits in the middle of the counties, with 931 deaths a year per 100,000 for its ages; Ireland’s figure is 918, and the county’s range runs from 879 to 983.
Every county
| County | Deaths per 100,000 | Bad health | Disability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meath | 849 | 90 | 96 |
| Galway | 854 | 91 | 95 |
| Laois | 862 | 112 | 106 |
| Kildare | 872 | 94 | 100 |
| Roscommon | 892 | 99 | 99 |
| Kilkenny | 892 | 88 | 98 |
| Wicklow | 901 | 94 | 106 |
| Dublin | 907 | 109 | 99 |
| Mayo | 907 | 93 | 94 |
| Ireland | 918 | 101 | 100 |
| Monaghan | 919 | 85 | 87 |
| Clare | 928 | 96 | 96 |
| Westmeath | 929 | 97 | 100 |
| Louth | 931 | 117 | 104 |
| Kerry | 931 | 85 | 95 |
| Donegal | 933 | 107 | 102 |
| Waterford | 935 | 99 | 104 |
| Cork | 950 | 89 | 102 |
| Tipperary | 952 | 103 | 103 |
| Cavan | 954 | 96 | 93 |
| Sligo | 962 | 94 | 101 |
| Wexford | 962 | 109 | 109 |
| Carlow | 964 | 118 | 108 |
| Longford | 972 | 126 | 98 |
| Limerick | 976 | 113 | 103 |
| Offaly | 984 | 117 | 104 |
| Leitrim | 1,012 | 96 | 100 |
Life expectancy by region, 2016
| Region | Life expectancy, women | Life expectancy, men |
|---|---|---|
| West | 84.5 | 79.7 |
| Mid-East | 84 | 80.3 |
| Border | 83.5 | 79.5 |
| Dublin | 83.4 | 80.1 |
| South-West | 83.2 | 79.1 |
| Midland | 83.2 | 80 |
| South-East | 83.1 | 79.3 |
| Mid-West | 82.5 | 79 |
Ireland doesn’t publish life expectancy, deaths, hospital waiting times or GP numbers for towns: life expectancy comes by region and only to 2016, and the HSE reports waits by hospital, not by where patients live. So Tralee is graded on what the Census counts for every town: bad health and disability for its ages.
Deaths: CSO MORT04, 2020–2024, by county, age-standardised. Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by NUTS 3 region. Not graded.
Tralee comes 26th of 40 Irish towns its size for health
The 40 graded towns nearest its population, ordered by Health Grade. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malahide Dublin | 18,608 | 47 | A+ |
| 2 | Carpenterstown Dublin | 20,967 | 74 | A+ |
| 3 | Douglas Cork | 22,029 | 63 | A |
| … | ||||
| 24 | Newbridge Kildare | 24,366 | 117 | B− |
| 25 | Stoneybatter Dublin | 18,644 | 183 | C+ |
| 26 | Tralee Kerry | 26,079 | 141 | C+ |
| 27 | Ballymun Dublin | 22,321 | 184 | C |
| 28 | Athlone Westmeath | 22,869 | 137 | C |
| … | ||||
| 40 | Jobstown Dublin | 23,437 | 177 | D |
These towns run from 18,460 to 33,886 people, and their bad health from 47 to 188 per 100 expected; Tralee has 141.
Health in the places around Tralee
Bad health and disability per 100 expected for each place’s ages. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Bad health | Disability | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tralee | 26,079 | 141 | 109 | C+ |
| Milltown 14.3 km | 1,118 | 122 | 121 | C− |
| Castleisland 16.7 km | 2,536 | 111 | 105 | B |
Castleisland, 16.7 km away, reports less bad health for its ages: 111 for every 100 expected, against 141 in Tralee.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Adjusted for age. Each figure is people per 100 expected: the town’s own ages and sex at Ireland’s rates give the expected count, so an older town isn’t marked down for its age.
- Small areas, summed to the town. The Census counts are summed from the small areas (about 80 to 120 homes each) that make up the town.
- How sure. Bad health is rare (under 2% of people), so in a small town a few people move the figure; where its 90% range is wider than 50 points the grade is marked less sure. Disability counts are large enough never to be.
- Income and health. The income chart sets each town’s 2022 median gross household income against its bad-health ratio. Where no figure is published for a town, ours is built from the electoral divisions it covers, so it is approximate. The line is a trend, not a cause, and it isn’t part of the grade.
- Deaths by county. Ireland counts deaths by county, not town. The county rate is age-standardised, so an older county isn’t marked up for its age, and it covers five years, so one hard winter doesn’t swing it.
- Town and county. A county’s figure takes in its towns and the countryside around them. Taken together, Irish towns of 2,500 or more have 115 people in bad health per 100 expected, so a town can sit well above the county it belongs to.
- What Ireland doesn’t publish by town. Life expectancy (by region, to 2016), deaths, hospital waits and GP numbers aren’t published for towns, so they aren’t graded here.
- Different years. The Census ratios, medical cards and income are from 2022, deaths by county from 2020–2024, life expectancy from 2016.
Questions about health in Tralee
How healthy is Tralee?
At the 2022 Census, 141 people in Tralee reported bad or very bad health and 109 had a disability for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates; 86% said their health was good or very good. Tralee grades C+ for health (#214 of 321 Irish towns).
How is Tralee’s Health Grade worked out?
From two Census 2022 measures, each set against the town’s ages and sex at Ireland’s rates: bad or very bad health, and disability. Each is ranked against every Irish town of 1,000 or more residents and the grade averages the two; ranks start at 2,500 residents, and a county rank needs five graded towns.
What is the life expectancy in Tralee?
Ireland publishes life expectancy for eight regions, not for towns, and the latest is for 2016: in the South-West region it was 79.1 for men and 83.2 for women.
How many people die each year in Co. Kerry?
Ireland publishes deaths by county rather than by town. Over 2020–2024, 931 people a year died per 100,000 in Co. Kerry once its ages are allowed for; for Ireland the figure is 918.
Is Tralee healthier than its income would suggest?
Yes. Irish towns with a median household income of €42,580 typically have about 154 people in bad health per 100 expected; Tralee has 141.
How many people near Tralee have a medical card?
Cards are counted by health region only: 28% of people in HSE South West have a medical card, which covers GP visits and public hospital care, and 11% have a GP visit card, which covers GP visits alone.
Where is the nearest hospital or GP to Tralee?
This page doesn’t list hospitals or GP practices yet: the HSE publishes its services by hospital and health area, not by town, so the nearest ones aren’t matched to Tralee here. The HSE’s service finder lists them; in an emergency call 112 or 999.
Source: CSO, Census of Population 2022 (CC BY 4.0). Age-standardised ratios are TownRatings calculations against Ireland’s rates by age and sex (F4014, F4066). Life expectancy: CSO VSA31, 2016, by region. Medical cards: HSE via CSO HHR03, 2022, by health region.
Sources: CSO Census of Population 2022 (Small Area Population Statistics; F4014, F4066) · bad health and disability per 100 expected: TownRatings calculations, indirectly standardized by age and sex · CSO VSA31 (life expectancy, 2016) · HSE via CSO HHR03 (medical cards, 2022) · CSO MORT04 (deaths by county, age-standardised, 2020–2024) · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income in Ireland 2022 (GPIIA01, GPIIA02) · Health Grade: TownRatings, the live run. 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).