Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 13,054 residents, it is a town in Co. Mayo. The population grew 8% between 2016 and 2022.
Nothing here grades far from typical. Police record less crime here than in most towns: per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 5.3 violent crimes and 3.3 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Overall, Castlebar earns a B: better than 64% of Irish towns, and #117 of 320 Irish towns. The median home sold for €235,000, 4.7 times the town’s median household income. What holds it back is hazard risk (C) — an estimated a tenth of its homes exceed the radon reference level. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · radon, EPA · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health and work, CSO Census 2022.
The one thing Castlebar does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Castlebar 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 22 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 2%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castlebar.
0.3% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, in line with Co. Mayo’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). Radon: 70% of homes are in high-radon areas, below Co. Mayo’s towns (100%) but above Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 70% | 100% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 11% | 0% | 0.5% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.3% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
8% of the schools teach through Irish, higher than Co. Mayo’s towns (0%) and near Irish towns (8%). Within 3 km of Castlebar there are 12 schools (7 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 2 special schools). The nearest secondary, St Joseph's Secondary School, is 0.3 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castlebar Primary School Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 864 | Catholic |
| Davitt College DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 902 | Multi-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Raifteirí GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 229 | Catholic |
| Breaffy N.S. DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 377 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 67% | 0% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 8% | 0% | 8% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 17% | 20% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +9% | +10% | +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 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Castlebar has less crime per resident than 76% of them. Of the graded crimes here, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025). Every kind together came to 43.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above Co. Mayo’s towns (34.2) but below 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 | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 3.3 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Theft | 9.8 | 6.2 | 15.3 |
| All recorded crime | 43.1 | 34.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Here July highs average 18.7°C, about level with Co. Mayo’s towns (18.7°C) and below Irish towns (19.9°C). Averaged across the seasons, Castlebar sits at 9.9°C. December is the wettest month locally, with 175 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,467 mm | 1,284 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 18.7°C | 18.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.9°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.6°C | 2.6°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Across its 5 parks, Castlebar has 33 ha of green space. 95% of homes have green space within 400 m. Walkers have 1.0 km per km² of paths and tracks, above Co. Mayo’s towns (0.4 km per km²) but below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²).
| Outdoors | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 95% | 83% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.0 km per km² | 0.4 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Castlebar’s November pattern is steady: afternoons average 11°C, nights 5°C. It should stay dry today, with a fresh breeze of up to 20 km/h and a low near 5°C. Later in the week, highs run between 6°C and 10°C, peaking on Friday.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 466 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 289 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 294 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 418 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
One measure of family life: 19% of residents are under 15. Daily Irish speakers outside school: 1.2%, above both Co. Mayo’s towns (0.9%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Also worth knowing: among adults, 36% have a degree.
Women make up 52.1% of Castlebar
6,801 women and 6,253 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 8.8% | 9.6% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 13% | 13% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | 40% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.6% | 6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 36% | 29% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Mayo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
64% voted at the general election. Mayo County Council runs Castlebar: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it. Local elections drew 58% of voters to the polls last time.
| Turnout | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 58% | 60% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Scaled to its population, Castlebar has 61 inventory buildings per 10,000 people, between Co. Mayo’s towns (99) and Irish towns (48). Homes built before 1919 account for 2% of the housing. Archaeologists have recorded 22 sites here.
| Heritage | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 61 | 99 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 2% | 5.1% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 22 | 21 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
A buyer in Castlebar paid 57% more for a typical home in 2025 than in 2010: €283K against €180K. Private renters make up 34% of households, close to Co. Mayo’s towns (33%) and above Irish towns (22%). Only one of the 6 towns in Co. Mayo costs more to buy into than Castlebar, whose median sale is €235,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €375,000 | 117 |
| Second-hand homes | €220,000 | 636 |
| The last 12 months | €290,000 | 219 |
| Housing | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 34% | 33% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €235K | €190K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,247 | €1,030 | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 10% | 12% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Castlebar’s share in bad or very bad health, 2.6%, is the highest of the 6 towns in Co. Mayo. Disability, age-adjusted: 99 for every 100 expected here. 34% of people in the HSE West and North West health region hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2% |
| With a disability | 22% | 21% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
6.8% of workers worked mainly from home, below Co. Mayo’s towns (7.6%) and Irish towns (11%) alike. At the census, 67% of people aged 15 to 64 had a job. Average household income comes to €49,850 a year before tax.
| Census 2022 | Castlebar | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 19.9 min | 21.4 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 55% | 55% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 11% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €49,850 | €49,731 | €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.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Castlebar. Best known first.
MuseumMuseum of Country Life4.8 km outside town, to the northeast · 99K visitors a yearTheme parkTheme parkFunster Playcentrein townMuseumMuseumNational Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park4.8 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 79 buildings in Castlebar, each of regional importance. Archaeologists have recorded 22 sites here.
62 notable people were born in Castlebar.
Sally Rooney: Frank Barat, CC BY 4.0 · James T. Kelley: Richard Wallace / Pathé Exchange, Public domain · Pádraig Flynn: Jean-Pierre van der Elst, CC BY 4.0 · Louis Brennan: The original uploader was Martin Cordon at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ernie O'Malley: Kilmainham Jail, Public domain · Margaret Burke Sheridan: Erich Salomon, Public domain
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Castlebar had 13,054 people at the 2022 census, up from 12,078 in 2016: 8.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Castlebar is 38.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
7% mostly work from home, and 55% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Mayo
13,054 people live in Castlebar, 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).