Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Its population rose 11% from 2016 to 2022. A town in Co. Louth, home to 5,478 people.
Ardee’s weakest subject is jobs & income — 63% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 12%. The median home here went for €305,000, 6.4 times the median household income. It also trails on safety: 7.4 burglaries and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, and 5.5 violent crimes. Put together, the subjects come to a C overall, better than 29% of Irish towns. In the ranking it comes #229 of 320 Irish towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for health and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: work and health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · radon, EPA.
The 2 things Ardee does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ardee 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 →
39 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ardee.
Within 3 km of Ardee there are 5 schools (4 primary schools and 1 secondary school). 60% of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, above Irish towns (35%). The nearest secondary, Ardee Community School, is 0.8 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S N Mhuire na TrocaireLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 339 | Catholic |
| Ardee Community School DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 1,306 | Inter-denominational |
| Ardee Monastery DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 244 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +19% | – | +4% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | – | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | – | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 60% | – | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No school here carries a letter or a result: Ireland publishes neither for individual schools.
Driving is how 74% of commuters got to work at the census. Short trips: 41% under 15 minutes, higher than Irish towns (31%). Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 63% at the census.
| Census 2022 | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 63% | – | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 41% | – | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 12% | – | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €47,320 | – | €57,760 |
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.
The graded crime recorded most in Ardee was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). In all, 41.5 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, lower than 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 | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 5.9 | – | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 7.4 | – | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 41.5 | – | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Taken over the whole year, the average temperature in Ardee is 10.0°C. 826 mm of rain falls in a year, below Irish towns (937 mm). Also worth knowing: the town is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.3°C | – | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | – | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 826 mm | – | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
There is one park in Ardee; its green space comes to 6 ha. Its paths and tracks come to 0.9 km per km², below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Green space in Ardee works out at 1.1 ha per 1,000 people.
| Outdoors | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 49% | – | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.7% | – | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.9 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0.8% | – | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The heaviest rain of the week is due on Tuesday, around 4 mm. Around 3 mm of rain is due today, on a breeze of up to 27 km/h, with a low of 9°C. Over a whole year, the typical afternoon climbs from 8°C in January to 20°C in July.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 2°C | 215 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 172 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 202 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 236 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
18% were born abroad, lower than Irish towns (22%). Children under 15 make up 21% of residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up just over a tenth of the town.
51.4% of Ardee’s residents are women
2,815 women and 2,663 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 14% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 16% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 19% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 37% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.9% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 23% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Louth and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election 61% voted, above Irish towns (59%). Louth County Council is the one council for Ardee; Ireland has no town or county councils between it and the government. Half of voters turned out at the last local elections. Sinn Féin lead Louth County Council with 7 of 29 seats, but no party has a majority: 15 are needed.
| Turnout | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | – | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 50% | – | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The archaeological record lists 39 sites here. Homes from before 1919 make up 3.8% of the total, higher than Irish towns (3.4%). 62 of Ardee’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance.
| Heritage | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 113 | – | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 39 | – | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Renting cost €1,269 a month on average, below Irish towns (€1,606). Home ownership stands at 59% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €387,500 | 58 |
| Second-hand homes | €275,000 | 218 |
| The last 12 months | €381,500 | 146 |
| Housing | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 20% | – | 13% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,269 | – | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €305K | – | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Radon: an estimated 1.6% of homes in Ardee are over the reference level. Landslides: none of Ardee lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 35% | – | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | – | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Nearly a quarter of residents have a disability, higher than Irish towns (22%). Self-reported good health: 87% of Ardee’s residents. Ages taken into account, Ardee counts 106 people in poor health for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Ardee | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 24% | – | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | – | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.6% | – | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Ardee. Best known first.
CastleArdee Castlein town
CastleRoodstown Castle2.6 km outside town, to the northeastChurchChurchKildemock Jumping Church1.7 km outside town, to the southeastVisitor farmVisitor farmLong Acre Alpacas2.9 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
62 of Ardee’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 39 archaeological sites in and around the town.
7 notable people were born in Ardee.
Beatrice Hill-Lowe: British Olympic Association, Public domain · John Hardgrave: Contributor(s): Jubilee History of Queensland, Public domain
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardee | 5,478 | — | C | B− | C | B− |
| Dunleer | 2,143 | 9.6 | — | B− | C− | C |
| Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | 1,232 | 10 | — | B− | A− | C+ |
| Dromiskin | 1,292 | 12 | — | C | A− | B |
| Tullyallen | 1,697 | 15 | — | C− | C | A− |
| Slane Meath | 1,445 | 16 | — | B+ | A | A− |
| Carrickmacross Monaghan | 5,745 | 18 | B | B+ | C+ | B+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Ardee had 5,478 people at the 2022 census, up from 4,919 in 2016: 11.4% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Ardee is 37.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
7% mostly work from home, and 41% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Louth
Ardee has 5,478 people, in the area of Louth 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).