Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 10,556: a town in Co. Mayo.
At C+ overall, Ballina is better than two fifths of Irish towns and ranks #193 of 320 Irish towns. Work and incomes lag: jobs reach 62% of 15 to 64s, and unemployment is 16%. It lags on hazard risk as well: an estimated 24% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. Where it does best is cost of living (A) — buying the median home, at €175,000, takes 4 times the town’s median household income.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA.
The 3 things Ballina does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Ballina 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 21 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ballina.
Renting privately is how a quarter of households live. Only one of the 6 towns in Co. Mayo costs less to buy into than Ballina, whose median sale is €175,000. 61% of households own their home, about level with Irish towns (61%) and above Co. Mayo’s towns (54%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €385,000 | 33 |
| Second-hand homes | €170,000 | 644 |
| The last 12 months | €210,000 | 186 |
| Housing | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €175K | €190K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,019 | €1,063 | €1,606 |
| Households renting privately | 25% | 34% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 61% | 54% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Just over one in ten homes stand low near a river, above both Co. Mayo’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0.5%). The nearest bathing water to Ballina is Enniscrone Beach, 11 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Landslides: none of Ballina lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 95% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 12% | 0% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
6.3% of workers worked mainly from home, below Co. Mayo’s towns (7.6%) and Irish towns (11%) alike. A trip to work takes 20.2 min on average. The average household earns €43,603 a year before tax.
| Census 2022 | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 16% | 11% | 9.2% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 56% | 55% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 62% | 67% | 68% |
| Average trip | 20.2 min | 21.4 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.
DEIS, the support scheme, covers half of them, above Co. Mayo’s towns (17%) and Irish towns (35%) alike. For secondary school, the closest is Moyne College, 0.5 km from the town. Within 3 km of Ballina there are 14 schools (9 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 2 special schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quignamanger N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 364 | Catholic |
| St. Mary's Secondary School GirlsLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 551 | Catholic |
| Gaelscoil na gCeithre Maol GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 141 | Catholic |
| Cullens N.S. DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 273 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 67% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 17% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 7% | 0% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +10% | +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.
Among the graded crimes in Ballina, the most frequent was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Homes saw 6.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, higher than Co. Mayo’s towns (4) and near Irish towns (6.4). Recorded crime of every kind runs at 43 per 1,000 residents a year.
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 | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 6.5 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 6.4 | 4.4 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 6.7 | 6.2 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 43 | 34.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Of the 6 towns in Co. Mayo, Ballina has the second-largest share in bad or very bad health: 2.5%. Allowing for its ages, Ballina has 126 residents in bad health per 100 expected, lower than Co. Mayo’s towns (135) yet higher than Irish towns (113). 25% of residents in Ballina live with a disability.
| Census 2022 | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 6.3% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| With a disability | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Here July highs average 18.5°C, close to Co. Mayo’s towns (18.7°C) and below Irish towns (19.9°C). The annual mean in Ballina is 9.9°C. Across the year, Ballina now averages 0.2°C more than it did in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.5°C | 18.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,208 mm | 1,344 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.9°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.7°C | 2.6°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected nature near Ballina includes Killala Bay/Moy Estuary SAC. Across its 2 parks, Ballina has 17 ha of green space. 83% of homes are within 400 m of green space, about level with Co. Mayo’s towns (87%) and below Irish towns (92%).
| Outdoors | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 83% | 87% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.8 km per km² | 0.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 3.5% | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.3% | 3.1% | 2.7% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Expect no rain today, only a light breath of wind up to 15 km/h, and a low of 6°C. Rain barely features in the rest of the week, with 5 of 6 days dry. December follows with normal highs of 9°C and lows of 3°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 374 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 236 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 256 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 342 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Retirement age and beyond: 17% of residents are 65 or older. People aged 15 to 24 are 11% of the population.
Women make up 51.0% of Ballina
5,388 women and 5,168 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 14% | 9.4% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 40% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.2% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 26% | 32% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Mayo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Turnout at the last local elections was 58%. One council serves Ballina: Mayo County Council. 64% of voters cast a ballot at the general election. With 10 of 30 seats, Fine Gael are the largest group on Mayo County Council, short of the 16 a majority needs.
| Turnout | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 58% | 60% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The Sites and Monuments Record lists 21 sites here, near Co. Mayo’s towns (21) and higher than Irish towns (11). Homes built before 1919 account for 3.7% of the housing. Ballina’s built heritage counts 104 inventory entries; 1 carry national or international standing.
| Heritage | Ballina | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 99 | 72 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 21 | 21 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Ballina. Best known first.
CathedralCathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreenin town
CathedralSt. Muredack's Cathedralin town
Abbey or prioryRosserk Abbey4.1 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumThe Jackie Clarke Collectionin townMuseumMuseumBallina Whiskey100 m outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumMarshall Doran Collection at Belleek Castle400 m outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Ballina’s built heritage counts 104 inventory entries; 1 carry national or international standing. 21 archaeological sites are on the record here.
29 notable people were born in Ballina.
Caelan Doris: stede64, CC BY-SA 2.0 · James Donnelly: Brentford FC, Public domain · Edward Whelan: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Martin Birrane: Eddi Laumanns aka RX-Guru, CC BY 3.0 · P. J. Ruttledge: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · David Cawley: Seaninryan, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballina | 10,556 | — | C+ | A | C | C+ |
| Crossmolina | 1,134 | 11 | — | A | A+ | B+ |
| Enniscrone Sligo | 1,291 | 12 | — | B | A | B |
| Foxford | 1,452 | 15 | — | A | A+ | B− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Ballina had 10,556 people at the 2022 census, up from 10,369 in 2016: 1.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Ballina is 39.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
6% mostly work from home, and 56% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Mayo
10,556 people live in Ballina, in the area of Mayo 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).