Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,496 in Co. Kilkenny.
Police record less crime here than in most towns: gardaí record 2.7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, and 2.7 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Its lowest grade is for health (D) — 169 residents in bad health and 122 with a disability for every 100 its ages predict. At a median €210,000, a home costs 4.1 times the town’s median household income. Jobs and pay trail most towns: among 15 to 64s, 62% are in work; unemployment stands at 13%.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO. Castlecomer has subject grades but no overall grade: Irish towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Rents for this town aren't published on their own, so its Cost Grade uses the county's average rent. Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level. 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 Castlecomer does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Castlecomer 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 →
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castlecomer.
Asked at the census, 82% of residents of Castlecomer said they were in good or very good health. 28% of residents have a disability, above both Co. Kilkenny’s towns (23%) and Irish towns (22%). Family carers: 6.3% of the people in Castlecomer look after someone without pay.
| Census 2022 | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 1.8% | 2% |
| Good or very good health | 82% | 88% | 88% |
| With a disability | 28% | 23% | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 6.3% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
For its size, Castlecomer records less crime per resident than just over four fifths of the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Castlecomer (2023–2025). Thefts came to 2.3 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), lower than both Co. Kilkenny’s towns (5.9) 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 | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 2.7 | 5.1 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 16.8 | 43.7 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 2.7 | 5.2 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 2.3 | 5.9 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
13% rent privately, below Co. Kilkenny’s towns (19%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. Home ownership stands at 59% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €210,000 | 83 |
| Housing | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 24% | 19% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €210K | €289K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 13% | 19% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
No part of Castlecomer is mapped as high landslide susceptibility. By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred here has radon above the reference level. Next to none of its homes lie low beside a river or the sea.
| Share of homes | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 84% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Short trips: 40% under 15 minutes, near Co. Kilkenny’s towns (39%) and higher than Irish towns (31%). The average trip to work takes 27.5 min. Also worth knowing: at the census, 7.3% of workers worked mainly from home.
| Census 2022 | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 62% | 68% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 13% | 10% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 40% | 39% | 31% |
| Average trip | 27.5 min | 23.8 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.
For secondary school, the closest is Community School, 0.5 km from the town. Within 3 km of Castlecomer there are 3 schools (2 primary schools and 1 secondary school).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Íosagáin DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 121 | Catholic |
| Community School DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 634 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 67% | 11% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 56% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +3% | +4% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no school-by-school results, which is why these cards have no letters.
A year brings 999 mm of rain to Castlecomer. Across the year it averages 9.6°C, below Co. Kilkenny’s towns (10.2°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C) alike. In July, daytime highs in Castlecomer average 19.8°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average temperature over the year | 9.6°C | 10.2°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 1.7°C | 2.3°C | 2.9°C |
| July high | 19.8°C | 20.2°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 999 mm | 906 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Among the protected sites near Castlecomer is River Barrow. Woodland covers 7.3% of the land within 1 km, above both Co. Kilkenny’s towns (3.8%) and Irish towns (2.7%). The town offers 20.3 ha of green space per 1,000 residents. Green space in Castlecomer totals 30 ha, in one park.
| Outdoors | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 74% | 96% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 7.3% | 3.8% | 2.7% |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 20.3 ha | 3.5 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.2 km per km² | 0.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
What counts as normal for Castlecomer in November: highs come to 10°C and lows to 4°C. The sky keeps its rain today; wind tops out at 17 km/h, and the low reaches 7°C. Over the coming week, highs run from 6°C to 9°C, with Thursday the warmest.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 269 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 4°C | 201 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 10°C | 235 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 294 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Graduates make up 20% of adults. People 65 and over make up 19% of the town, above Co. Kilkenny’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (14%) alike. 13% of residents were born abroad.
50.7% of Castlecomer’s residents are women
758 women and 738 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 18% | 9.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 38% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 20% | 31% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Kilkenny and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
With 11 of 24 seats, Fianna Fáil are the largest group on Kilkenny County Council, short of the 13 a majority needs. Kilkenny County Council is the one council for Castlecomer; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. The town sits in the Castlecomer local electoral area, which elects 6 councillors.
| Turnout | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 50% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
12.6% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Co. Kilkenny’s towns (4.5%) and Irish towns (3.4%). Castlecomer’s built heritage counts 64 inventory entries; 1 carry national or international standing.
| Heritage | Castlecomer | Co. Kilkenny | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 428 | 216 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 0 | 84 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 12.6% | 4.5% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Castlecomer; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleKilkenny Castle17 km south
MuseumDunmore Cave7.8 km south
CastleCarlow Castle19 km east
CathedralSaint Marys Cathedral17 km south
CathedralSt Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower16 km southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Castlecomer’s built heritage counts 64 inventory entries; 1 carry national or international standing.
14 notable people were born in Castlecomer.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlecomer | 1,496 | — | — | A | A | D |
| Ballyragget | 1,116 | 8.1 | — | A− | A | C |
| Abbeyleix Laois | 1,897 | 16 | — | A− | A+ | B+ |
| Kilkenny | 27,184 | 16 | B+ | B+ | C | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
7% mostly work from home, and 40% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Castlecomer had 1,496 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,447 in 2016: 3.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Castlecomer is 40.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Kilkenny
Castlecomer has 1,496 people, in the area of Kilkenny 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).