Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 23,494 residents in Co. Laois. It skews young: only 10% of residents are 65 or over.
More weak spots than strong ones. Portlaoise’s overall C− puts it #262 of 320 Irish towns. Set against the rest, it does better than 18% of Irish towns. Crime is the sore point: 7.6 burglaries and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, and 11.1 violent crimes. Health lags (C−): 153 residents in bad health and 113 with a disability for every 100 its ages predict. Housing is within reach: homes sell for a median €292,000, about 5.1 times what a household here earns in a year.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · health, CSO Census 2022.
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 Portlaoise does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Portlaoise 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 →
17 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Portlaoise.
Under 1% of homes in Portlaoise are estimated to have radon above the reference level. The ground under Portlaoise carries no high landslide susceptibility. Next to none of its homes lie low beside a river or the sea.
| Share of homes | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | – | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | – | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more incidents per resident: they are counted where they happen, not where victims live.
For its size, Portlaoise records more crime per resident than 85% of the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Portlaoise (2023–2025). Thefts came to 21.4 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), above 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 | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 11.1 | – | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 88.7 | – | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 7.6 | – | 6.4 |
| Theft | 21.4 | – | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
For its ages, Portlaoise has 113 people with a disability for every 100 expected, higher than Irish towns (106). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.3% of the town. 22% of residents in Portlaoise live with a disability.
| Census 2022 | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | – | 2% |
| With a disability | 22% | – | 22% |
| Unpaid carers | 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
At the census, 77% of commuters went by car. 64% of 15 to 64s were in work, below Irish towns (68%). A trip to work takes 30.4 min on average.
| Census 2022 | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 12% | – | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 64% | – | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 38% | – | 31% |
| Average trip | 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.
Within 3 km of Portlaoise there are 13 schools (7 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 2 special schools). Single-sex secondaries: 50%, above Irish towns (39%). Dunamase College (Coláiste Dhún Másc) is the nearest secondary school, 0.6 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Bhride N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 727 | Catholic |
| Portlaoise College DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 1,005 | Multi-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Phort Laoise GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 369 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 15% | – | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +10% | – | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 50% | – | 39% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
Prices in Portlaoise have outpaced Irish towns since 2010: the typical sale is up 89%, to €330K in 2025, against 77%. Social renters account for 15% of households. In addition, 23% rent privately, higher than Irish towns (22%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €365,000 | 629 |
| Second-hand homes | €230,000 | 1,025 |
| The last 12 months | €370,000 | 545 |
| Housing | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,268 | – | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €292K | – | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 15% | – | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
The year’s mean temperature is 9.8°C, below Irish towns (10.3°C). October is the wettest month in Portlaoise, with 99 mm of rain on average. The town is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.0°C | – | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | – | 10.3°C |
| July high | 20.0°C | – | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
86% of homes are within 400 m of green space, lower than Irish towns (92%). Green space in Portlaoise adds up to 38 ha, across 7 parks. There are 1.6 ha of green space for every 1,000 people here.
| Outdoors | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 0.6 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 86% | – | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Children under 15 make up 23% of residents. Born abroad: 29% of residents, higher than Irish towns (22%). 31% of adults hold a degree.
48.6% of Portlaoise’s residents are women
11,427 women and 12,067 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 9.5% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 9% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 40% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.3% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 31% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Laois and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Local government for Portlaoise is Laois County Council alone; Ireland has a single tier. No party holds a majority on Laois County Council: Fianna Fáil lead with 6 of 19 seats, short of the 10 needed. Also worth knowing: 48% voted at the last local elections.
| Turnout | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 48% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Per 10,000 residents, Portlaoise counts 79 inventory buildings, above Irish towns (48). 17 archaeological sites are on the record. 2% of homes date from before 1919.
| Heritage | Portlaoise | Co. Laois | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 79 | – | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 17 | – | 11 |
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 Portlaoise; with it, the best known within 40 km.
CastleRock of Dunamase3.4 km outside town, to the east
Museum · Office of Public WorksEmo Court9.9 km northeast
CastleCarlow Castle33 km southeast
CastleLeap Castle35 km west
CathedralCathedral of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary33 km southeast
MuseumDunmore Cave34 km southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 185 buildings in Portlaoise, 6 of national or international importance. The national record lists 17 archaeological sites in and around the town.
46 notable people were born in Portlaoise.
Robert Sheehan: Luigi Novi, CC BY 4.0 · Seán Fleming: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0 · Arthur Jacob: GeneralBelly, CC BY-SA 4.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portlaoise | 23,494 | — | C− | B+ | D | C− |
| Mountmellick | 4,905 | 8.8 | C+ | A | B− | D− |
| Stradbally | 1,404 | 11 | — | A− | B− | D |
| Mountrath | 2,070 | 13 | — | A | B− | C− |
| Abbeyleix | 1,897 | 14 | — | A− | A+ | B+ |
| Portarlington | 9,288 | 15 | C | A | C+ | D |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Portlaoise is 35.9, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Portlaoise had 23,494 people at the 2022 census, up from 21,483 in 2016: 9.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
7% mostly work from home, and 38% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Laois
Portlaoise has 23,494 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).