Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,459 in Co. Mayo.
Buying a home costs less than in most towns: the median home sold for €171,000, 4.1 times the town’s median household income. The weak point is jobs & income: 62% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 15%. It lags on health as well — bad health runs at 137 and disability at 110 per 100 expected for its ages. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety and C+ for walkability.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work, health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025. An overall grade comes at 2,500 residents for Irish towns; Swinford has its subject grades alone.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
The 3 things Swinford does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Swinford 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 6 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Swinford.
18% live in social housing, higher than both Co. Mayo’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (13%). Households that own their home make up 64%.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €171,000 | 184 |
| The last 12 months | €155,000 | 42 |
| Housing | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 16% | 34% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €171K | €190K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €953 | €1,047 | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 18% | 12% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Working from home was the norm for 7.7% of workers at the census. 50% of trips took under 15 minutes, lower than Co. Mayo’s towns (55%) yet higher than Irish towns (31%). Getting to work takes 22.5 min on average.
| Census 2022 | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 15% | 11% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 62% | 67% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 50% | 55% | 31% |
| Median household income | €41,610 | €49,791 | €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.
Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, about level with Co. Mayo’s towns (97%) and above Irish towns (0%). The ground under Swinford carries no high landslide susceptibility. Its homes mostly stand clear of low ground by water.
| Share of homes | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 97% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 1.7% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Since 2019/20, pupils changed +14%, above both Co. Mayo’s towns (+10%) and Irish towns (+4%). Scoil Muire Agus Padraig is the nearest secondary school, 0.4 km away. Within 3 km of Swinford there are 3 schools (2 primary schools and 1 secondary school).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swinford N.S. DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 200 | Catholic |
| Scoil Muire Agus Padraig DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 394 | Catholic |
| Culmore N.S. DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 33 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 100% | 18% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 33% | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 4% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +14% | +10% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · These schools carry no letter or result: Ireland doesn’t release them school by school.
At the census, 83% of people in Swinford called their health good or very good, below Co. Mayo’s towns (87%) and Irish towns (88%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 3.2% of the town. In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card. 6.8% of residents in Swinford care, unpaid, for a relative or friend.
| Census 2022 | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 6.8% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 83% | 87% | 88% |
| With a disability | 27% | 21% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 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
The warmest afternoons come in July, at around 18.7°C in Swinford. Across the year it averages 9.7°C, below Co. Mayo’s towns (9.9°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C) alike. Midwinter nights in Swinford bottom out at 2.2°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.7°C | 18.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.7°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.2°C | 2.6°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,263 mm | 1,314 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Green space in Swinford adds up to 7 ha, in one park. A park or green space is within 400 m for 80% of homes. Walkers have 0.5 km per km² of paths and tracks, close to Co. Mayo’s towns (0.6 km per km²) and below Irish towns (2.1 km per km²).
| Outdoors | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 6% | 3.2% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 80% | 85% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.5 km per km² | 0.6 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 3.8% | 3.4% | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.9% of the town, lower than both Co. Mayo’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (12%). 19% of the people living here were born in another country. Graduates make up a quarter of adults.
Women make up 50.7% of Swinford
739 women and 720 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 21% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 24% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 19% | 9.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | 40% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 4.3% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 25% | 31% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Mayo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
One council serves Swinford: Mayo County Council. General election turnout: 64%, close to Co. Mayo’s towns (64%) and above Irish towns (59%). No party holds a majority on Mayo County Council: Fine Gael lead with 10 of 30 seats, short of the 16 needed.
| Turnout | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 57% | 60% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 64% | 64% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
6 archaeological sites are on the record, below Co. Mayo’s towns (21) and Irish towns (11) alike. 3.8% of its homes were built before 1919, between Co. Mayo’s towns (4.4%) and Irish towns (3.4%). The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 19 buildings in Swinford, each rated of regional importance.
| Heritage | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 130 | 85 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 6 | 21 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Among the 156 Irish towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Swinford has more crime per resident than 87% of them. More of the graded crimes in the town were assaults and harassment than anything else (2023–2025). Burglary and damage came to 5.2 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than Co. Mayo’s towns (4) yet lower than Irish towns (6.4).
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 | Swinford | Co. Mayo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 5.4 | 6.4 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 5.2 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 6.2 | 4.5 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 55.5 | 38.6 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Swinford; with it, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumMuseum of Country Life18 km west · 99K visitors a year
CathedralCathedral of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen23 km northwest
CathedralSt. Muredack's Cathedral23 km northwest
CastleBallylahan Castle10 km west
CastleBallymote Castle32 km northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 19 buildings in Swinford, each rated of regional importance. 6 archaeological sites are on the record here.
8 notable people were born in Swinford.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swinford | 1,459 | — | — | A | C+ | C+ |
| Charlestown-Bellahy | 1,172 | 10 | — | A | B+ | B |
| Kiltimagh | 1,232 | 11 | — | A− | B+ | B+ |
| Foxford | 1,452 | 12 | — | A | A+ | B− |
| Knock | 1,029 | 17 | — | A | A | B |
| Tubbercurry Sligo | 2,307 | 18 | — | A− | B+ | C |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Swinford is 44.1, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Swinford had 1,459 people at the 2022 census, up from 1,402 in 2016: 4.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
77% of working residents drive to work and 15% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%). 8% mostly work from home, and 50% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Mayo
1,459 people live in Swinford, 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).