Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 2,070 people, lies in Co. Laois. The population grew 13% between 2016 and 2022.
Buying a home costs less than in most towns: a typical home sold for €230,000, or 5.4 years of the town’s median household income. Where it falls short is jobs & income — the unemployment rate is 17%, with 58% of 15 to 64s in work. It lags on health as well: for every 100 its ages would predict, 166 residents are in bad health and 114 have a disability. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B for walkability.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work, health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025. Irish towns get an overall grade from 2,500 residents, so Mountrath has subject grades only.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
The 3 things Mountrath does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Mountrath 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 →
4 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
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 Mountrath.
The average trip to work took 29.7 min, about level with Co. Laois’ towns (30.4 min) and above Irish towns (27.6 min). 4% of workers worked mainly from home at the census. Income per household averages €42,872 a year, before tax.
| Census 2022 | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 17% | 12% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 58% | 63% | 68% |
| Median household income | €42,872 | €52,817 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 29.7 min | 30.4 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.
Radon is rarely a worry in Mountrath: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level. Landslides: none of Mountrath lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Few of its homes stand low beside water.
| Share of homes | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 0% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Owners make up 53% of households, lower than both Co. Laois’ towns (63%) and Irish towns (61%). 18% of households are private tenants.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €200,000 | 94 |
| The last 12 months | €275,000 | 35 |
| Housing | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 28% | 16% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 53% | 63% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €230K | €251K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,117 | €1,218 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
2.8% of residents report bad or very bad health. For its ages, Mountrath has 114 people with a disability for every 100 expected, below Co. Laois’ towns (126) but above Irish towns (106). Asked at the census, 85% of residents of Mountrath said they were in good or very good health.
| Census 2022 | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Unpaid carers | 4.7% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 23% | 25% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Day and night, summer and winter, Mountrath averages 9.8°C. 1,010 mm of rain falls in a year, above both Co. Laois’ towns (938 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm). The nearest weather station is Gurteen, 36 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 1.9°C | 2.0°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 1,010 mm | 938 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.9°C | 20.1°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Walkers have 0.1 km per km² of paths and tracks, about level with Co. Laois’ towns (0.6 km per km²) and below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Among the protected sites near Mountrath is River Barrow. The town offers 0.9 ha of green space per 1,000 residents.
| Outdoors | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 57% | 71% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 8.2% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.1 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Today stays dry but breezy, with wind up to 21 km/h and a low of 5°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 4 mm for the day. Judged by the averages, Mountrath sees November days reach 10°C and nights fall to 4°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 283 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 209 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 231 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 287 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Children under 15 make up 23%, close to Co. Laois’ towns (23%) and above Irish towns (20%). 13% of residents are 65 or over. People aged 15 to 24 make up 13% of the town.
51.0% of Mountrath’s residents are women
1,056 women and 1,014 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 13% | 10% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 18% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 17% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 42% | 41% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5% | 6.3% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 18% | 23% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Laois and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Laois County Council has no ruling majority: Fianna Fáil hold 6 of its 19 seats, short of the 10 needed. In the Dáil, Mountrath is part of Laois, which elects 3 TDs.
| Turnout | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 56% | 51% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 12.8% of the total. Its archaeology runs to 4 recorded sites. Mountrath’s built heritage counts 24 inventory entries, each of regional standing.
| Heritage | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 116 | 79 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 12.8% | 5.1% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 4 | 14 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
In 2023–2025, assaults and harassment led the graded crimes in Mountrath. Among the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Mountrath has more crime per resident than just over four fifths of them. Also worth knowing: every kind together came to 35.1 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Laois’ towns (41.2) and Irish towns (54.3).
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 | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 4.4 | 10.9 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 35.1 | 41.2 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 4.9 | 6 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.4 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Pupil numbers changed +6% since 2019/20, between Co. Laois’ towns (+10%) and Irish towns (+4%). Within 3 km of Mountrath there are 7 schools (6 primary schools and 1 secondary school). For secondary school, the closest is Mountrath Community School, 0.8 km from the town.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castletown N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 111 | Catholic |
| Mountrath Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 789 | Inter-denominational |
| Trummera N.S. GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 34 | Catholic |
| St Fintans N.S. DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 108 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Mountrath | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 14% | 0% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 29% | 15% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | +10% | +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.
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Mountrath; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleLeap Castle23 km west
CastleBirr Castle31 km west
Abbey or prioryAghaboe Abbey9.1 km south
Museum · Office of Public WorksEmo Court22 km northeast
CastleRock of Dunamase18 km eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Mountrath’s built heritage counts 24 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 4 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
3 notable people were born in Mountrath.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountrath | 2,070 | — | — | A | B− | C− |
| Portlaoise | 23,494 | 13 | C− | B+ | D | C− |
| Abbeyleix | 1,897 | 13 | — | A− | A+ | B+ |
| Mountmellick | 4,905 | 16 | C+ | A | B− | D− |
| Rathdowney | 1,368 | 18 | — | A | B− | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Mountrath had 2,070 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,836 in 2016: 12.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Mountrath is 35.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Laois
Mountrath has 2,070 people, in the area of Laois 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).