Photo: Marathon · CC BY-SA 2.0More people in Dock report bad health, for their ages, than in 97% of Irish towns
Fewer people than usual call their health good in Dock: 85%, against 89% across Irish towns, and 208 report it bad for every 100 its ages predict. Dock grades C− for health, #9 of 15 in Co. Limerick and #256 of 321 Irish towns. Less sure: few enough people here report bad health that the true figure could be anywhere from 181 to 238 per 100 expected.
What stands out about health in Dock
More people report bad health than its ages predict
208 people in Dock report bad or very bad health for every 100 its ages would predict (3.2% of residents, as answered). That is more than in 97% of Irish towns. Its 90% range, 181 to 238, stays above 100, so chance alone is unlikely to explain it. Health Grade ↓
Less healthy than the rest of Co. Limerick
Dock has 208 people in bad health per 100 expected for its ages, but Co. Limerick as a whole has only 113: the rest of the county is healthier for its ages than the town. Among Ireland’s 26 counties, Co. Limerick has the 22nd lowest figure. Health Grade ↓
Less healthy than its income predicts
Lower household incomes go with more bad health across Irish towns. Dock’s median household income is €41,650, against €57,760 in the typical Irish town, and on that income the trend gives about 157 people in bad health per 100 expected; Dock has 208. For its income ↓
Fewer unpaid carers than most towns
3.5% of people in Dock give regular unpaid care to someone with a long illness or disability, against 5.4% 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.
Dock 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. Disability counts in favor of Dock; bad health holds it back. Its place: #9 of 15 in Co. Limerick and #256 of 321 Irish towns.
Less sure: Both figures count every resident at the 2022 Census, not a sample, but chance still moves them in a small place. Few people here report bad health, so the true rate could be anywhere from 181 to 238 per 100 expected; the grade is marked less sure (≈).
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.
33% more 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 Dock’s household income, €41,650, at about 157 per 100 expected; Dock is at 208. Income doesn’t change the grade.
No income figure is published for Dock itself: its figure is our estimate from the electoral divisions it covers.
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.
85% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2022, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Residents of Dock are younger than in the typical Irish town (9.4% are 65 or over, against 14%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 208 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate. 3.5% give regular unpaid care (5.4% in the typical Irish town), and 21% smoke (16%).
The town beside its county’s towns and all Irish towns
| Share of residents | Dock | Towns in Co. Limerick | Irish towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 87% | 89% |
| Fair health | 12% | 11% | 9.5% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 2.6% | 2% |
| Disability, to any extent | 21% | 23% | 22% |
| Unable to work: illness or disability (15+) | 6.7% | 6.4% | 4.7% |
| Unpaid carers | 3.5% | 5% | 5.3% |
| Smokers | 21% | 18% | 16% |
31% of people in HSE Midwest hold a medical card
Free care by health region, and how many homes have a car to reach it.
In HSE Midwest, 31% 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: 43% of households in Dock, 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 Mid-West region: 82.5 for women, 79 for men
What Ireland publishes above the town: deaths by county and life expectancy by region.
Deaths in Co. Limerick, 2020–2024
Deaths a year per 100,000, age-standardised · 2020–2024
Co. Limerick is among the counties with the most deaths for their ages: 976 a year per 100,000, against 918 for Ireland, with a range of 927 to 1,026.
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 Dock 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.
Dock comes 35th 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 | Castleknock Dublin | 6,355 | 45 | A+ |
| 2 | Oranmore Galway | 5,819 | 68 | A |
| 3 | Sutton Dublin | 5,789 | 61 | A |
| … | ||||
| 33 | Gillabbey Cork | 5,857 | 113 | C |
| 34 | Lisduggan Waterford | 6,216 | 138 | C− |
| 35 | Dock Limerick | 6,258 | 208 | C− |
| 36 | Ballytruckle Waterford | 6,563 | 140 | C− |
| 37 | The Glen Cork | 6,119 | 148 | D |
| … | ||||
| 40 | Knocknaheeny Cork | 5,592 | 263 | D− |
These towns run from 5,478 to 6,971 people, and their bad health from 45 to 263 per 100 expected; Dock has 208.
Health in the places around Dock
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dock | 6,258 | 208 | 108 | C− |
| Limerick City Centre 0.7 km | 3,434 | 224 | 74 | B− |
| Prospect and Newtown Pery 0.8 km | 4,122 | 284 | 139 | D− |
| Ballinacurra 1.2 km | 3,719 | 123 | 106 | B− |
| Farranshone 1.4 km | 7,874 | 85 | 96 | A− |
| Galvone 1.4 km | 5,412 | 210 | 131 | D− |
| Rathbane 1.8 km | 4,111 | 187 | 127 | D− |
Farranshone, 1.4 km away, reports less bad health for its ages: 85 for every 100 expected, against 208 in Dock.
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 Dock
How healthy is Dock?
At the 2022 Census, 208 people in Dock reported bad or very bad health and 108 had a disability for every 100 expected from its ages at Ireland’s rates; 85% said their health was good or very good. Few people here report bad health, so the true rate could be anywhere from 181 to 238 per 100 expected; the grade is marked less sure (≈).
How is Dock’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 Dock?
Ireland publishes life expectancy for eight regions, not for towns, and the latest is for 2016: in the Mid-West region it was 79 for men and 82.5 for women.
How many people die each year in Co. Limerick?
Ireland publishes deaths by county rather than by town. Over 2020–2024, 976 people a year died per 100,000 in Co. Limerick once its ages are allowed for; for Ireland the figure is 918.
Is Dock healthier than its income would suggest?
No. Irish towns with a median household income of €41,650 typically have about 157 people in bad health per 100 expected; Dock has 208.
How many people near Dock have a medical card?
Cards are counted by health region only: 31% of people in HSE Midwest 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 Dock?
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 Dock 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).