Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It grew by 15% between the 2016 and 2022 censuses. 2,143 people live in this town in Co. Louth.
Hazard risk is low. Radon is barely a concern: almost no homes exceed the reference level. Police record more crime here than in most towns (C−): violent crime runs at 8.8 per 1,000 residents a year, burglary and criminal damage at 8.4. Jobs & income is weaker too: among 15 to 64s, 63% are in work; unemployment stands at 14%. It also trails on walkability. 15% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). The median home sold for €300,000, 5.9 times the town’s median household income.
Figures: radon, EPA · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO. Dunleer 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 Dunleer does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Dunleer 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 →
The record adds 13 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 3%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dunleer.
The nearest bathing water to Dunleer is Port, Lurganboy, 9.1 km away, rated excellent in 2025. By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred locally has radon above the reference level. 0.1% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, close to both Co. Louth’s towns (under 0.1%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.1% | under 0.1% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Of the graded crimes in Dunleer, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025). Thefts came to 9.7 per 1,000 a year (not part of the grade), below both Co. Louth’s towns (15.2) 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 | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 8.8 | 6.3 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 8.4 | 7.4 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 9.7 | 15.2 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
37% of trips took under 15 minutes, lower than Co. Louth’s towns (41%) yet higher than Irish towns (31%). The census counted 8.1% of workers working mainly from home. The car carried just over three quarters of commuters at the census.
| Census 2022 | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 12% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 63% | 63% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 37% | 41% | 31% |
| Median household income | €50,985 | €48,907 | €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.
Allowing for its ages, Dunleer has 120 residents in bad health per 100 expected, below Co. Louth’s towns (133) but above Irish towns (113). At the census, 1.9% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Self-reported good health: 86% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.9% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 2.3% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Dunleer sees July afternoons of 19.6°C on average. The year’s mean temperature is 10.1°C, near Co. Louth’s towns (10.2°C) and lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). Also worth knowing: the nearest weather station is Dunsany, 39 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.6°C | 19.8°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.1°C | 10.2°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 860 mm | 826 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 2.7°C | 2.7°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Woodland covers 3.1% of the land within 1 km, above both Co. Louth’s towns (1.7%) and Irish towns (2.7%). Every 1,000 residents of Dunleer share 0.9 ha of green space.
| Outdoors | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 48% | 74% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.1 km per km² | 1.0 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0% | 3.6% | 1.8% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.1% | 1.7% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
23% of adults hold a degree. Children under 15 make up 24%, higher than both Co. Louth’s towns (21%) and Irish towns (20%). People 65 and over make up just over a tenth of the town.
Women make up 51.4% of Dunleer
1,101 women and 1,042 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 16% | 13% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 37% | 36% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.6% | 5.9% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 23% | 30% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Louth and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Turnout at the general election came to 61%. There is just one council for Dunleer, Louth County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. Half of voters turned out at the last local elections, higher than both Co. Louth’s towns (48%) and Irish towns (46%).
| Turnout | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 50% | 48% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 61% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
For its size, Dunleer has 75 buildings on the national inventory per 10,000 residents. The Sites and Monuments Record lists 13 sites here, between Co. Louth’s towns (105) and Irish towns (11). 2.8% of homes were built before 1919.
| Heritage | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archaeological sites on the record | 13 | 105 | 11 |
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 75 | 88 | 48 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Private renters make up 15% of households, lower than both Co. Louth’s towns (20%) and Irish towns (22%). Owners make up 64% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €292,500 | 104 |
| The last 12 months | €352,500 | 36 |
| Housing | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 21% | 19% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 64% | 60% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €300K | €305K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Pupil numbers changed +11% since 2019/20, above Co. Louth’s towns (+9%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike. The nearest secondary, Scoil Ui Mhuiri, is 0.8 km away. 5 schools lie within 3 km of Dunleer: 3 primary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 special school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Bhride Mixed N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 202 | Catholic |
| Scoil Ui Mhuiri DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 644 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Dunleer | Co. Louth | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 25% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 3% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 20% | 39% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +11% | +9% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland doesn’t publish results for individual schools, so none of these carries a letter.
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Dunleer; with them, the best known within 40 km.
CastleAthclare Castle1.1 km outside town, to the south
CastleBarmeath Castle2.1 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseMonasterboice High Cross and Round Tower5.8 km south
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksOld Mellifont Abbey11 km southwest
CastleSlane Castle17 km southwest
Historic houseKells High Crosses34 km westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 16 buildings in Dunleer, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 13 sites here.
One notable person was born in Dunleer; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Beatrice Hill-Lowe: British Olympic Association, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunleer | 2,143 | — | — | B− | C− | C |
| Castlebellingham-Kilsaran | 1,232 | 7.5 | — | B− | A− | C+ |
| Ardee | 5,478 | 9.6 | C | B− | C | B− |
| Tullyallen | 1,697 | 10 | — | C− | C | A− |
| Clogherhead | 2,275 | 11 | — | C+ | A | B− |
| Dromiskin | 1,292 | 11 | — | C | A− | B |
| Termonfeckin | 1,983 | 11 | — | C− | C | C+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Dunleer had 2,143 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,871 in 2016: 14.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Dunleer is 36.3, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
8% mostly work from home, and 37% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Louth
Dunleer has 2,143 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).