#1Claremorris
3,857 peopleScore 65.2·#15 of 320 Irish towns
Strongest: cost of living A−, health A−·lowest: hazard risk C
Claremorris, #1 on this list · Photo: Original author and uploader was Sarah777 at en.wikipedia (Public domain)Mayo · 2026
Best places to live in County Mayo
The list’s runner-up is Westport, at A. The A range holds 2 towns on this list. Scores on the list run from 65.2 down to 44.8. First of the 6 ranked towns in County Mayo is Claremorris, #15 of 320 nationally.
The overall score, sorted within the county; the letter compares each town with every town in Ireland of 2,500+, and its national rank sits beside it. How grades work
#1A+
#2Westport
6,872 peopleScore 62.7·#33 of 320 Irish towns
Strongest: jobs & income A, health A−·lowest: cost of living C
#3Ballyhaunis
2,773 peopleScore 58.1·#83 of 320 Irish towns
Strongest: cost of living A+, walkability A−·lowest: jobs & income D
All 6 towns, ranked
By overall score against Irish towns; ranks are within the county, and each national rank links to the national list.
#TownScoreGrade · national rankWhat drives it
1Claremorris3,857 people65.2top 4.4%A+#15 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A−, health A−·lowest: hazard risk C
2Westport6,872 people62.7top 10.0%A#33 of 320 nationallyStrongest: jobs & income A, health A−·lowest: cost of living C
3Ballyhaunis2,773 people58.1top 25.7%B+#83 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A+, walkability A−·lowest: jobs & income D
4Ballinrobe3,148 people55.9top 30.4%B+#98 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, safety B·lowest: hazard risk C−
5Castlebar13,054 people53.0top 36.4%B#117 of 320 nationallyStrongest: safety B, cost of living B·lowest: hazard risk C
6Ballina10,556 people44.8bottom 39.8%C+#193 of 320 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A, health C+·lowest: hazard risk C−
Quick answers
Questions people ask
How are these towns ranked?
By the overall grade, which blends six graded subjects (safety, cost of living, health, jobs & income, walkability and hazard risk) from public data, each comparing a town with every town in Ireland of 1,000 or more. The rank is among the towns of 2,500 or more in County Mayo, where five or more have an overall grade.
Why isn’t my town on this list?
The list covers places of 2,500 or more with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their grades on their own pages; every town is listed on the County Mayo page.
County by county
Best places to live, county by county
Photos: Claremorris, Original author and uploader was Sarah777 at en.wikipedia (Public domain) · Westport, Marathon (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Ballyhaunis, JohnArmagh (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking Irish towns against each other only, run #71 of 9 November 2026. 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).