Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Co. Meath has a population of 4,899. It grew by 12% between the 2016 and 2022 censuses.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Safety is its strong suit: per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 2.7 violent crimes and 3.9 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Duleek’s overall grade of B+ puts it better than 68% of Irish towns, #8 of 11 in Co. Meath. Getting around depends on the car (D−). 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the typical Irish town: 23%). It lags on jobs & income as well — nearly two thirds of working-age residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 10%. The median sale, €355,000, comes to 5.8 times what the median household here earns.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · commuting and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
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 Duleek does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Duleek 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 →
22 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Duleek.
The commonest graded crime in Duleek was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Every kind together came to 25.9 per 1,000 residents a year, below Co. Meath’s towns (36.7) and Irish towns (54.3) alike.
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 | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 25.9 | 36.7 | 54.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 3.9 | 4.3 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 4.5 | 10 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
72% of households own their home, close to Co. Meath’s towns (75%) and above Irish towns (61%). The social rented sector houses 15% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €380,000 | 60 |
| Second-hand homes | €335,000 | 131 |
| The last 12 months | €370,000 | 35 |
| Housing | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 12% | 16% | 22% |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,370 | €1,677 | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 15% | 9% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 72% | 75% | 61% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Half of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, higher than both Co. Meath’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (35%). 4 schools lie within 3 km of Duleek: 4 primary schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.N. Bheinin Naofa C DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 343 | Catholic |
| S.N. Bheinn Naofa B DEISIn the DEIS schemePrimary | Primary | 339 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 50% | 0% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −8% | +5% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 9% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no results school by school, so these cards carry no letters or results.
A household here earns €61,568 a year before tax, on average. 6.2% of workers worked mainly from home, lower than both Co. Meath’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (11%). The census found 66% of 15- to 64-year-olds in work.
| Census 2022 | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 66% | 70% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.7% | 6.6% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €61,568 | €77,553 | €57,760 |
| Average trip | 32.9 min | 32.9 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.
The nearest bathing water to Duleek is Laytown/Bettystown, 13 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Radon: 100% of homes are in high-radon areas, higher than both Co. Meath’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0%). Also worth knowing: a flood relief scheme, the Duleek Flood Relief Scheme, protects parts of the town.
| Share of homes | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
The year’s mean temperature is 10.1°C, close to Co. Meath’s towns (9.9°C) and below Irish towns (10.3°C). Duleek gets 816 mm of rain a year. The nearest weather station is Dunsany, 22 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.5°C | 2.0°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 816 mm | 855 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.1°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Woodland covers 0.1% of the land within 1 km, lower than both Co. Meath’s towns (1.1%) and Irish towns (2.7%). There are 0.6 ha of green space for every 1,000 people in Duleek.
| Outdoors | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 40% | 98% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.1% | 1.1% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.4 km per km² | 1.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 0.6 ha | 2.4 ha | 4.1 ha |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Today brings about 1 mm of rain and a breeze of up to 35 km/h; the low is 10°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Saturday, at about 7 mm for the day. Set beside Duleek’s forecast, a normal November runs from 5°C at night to 11°C by day.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 206 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 171 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 204 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 235 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Born abroad: 18% of residents, below Co. Meath’s towns (20%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. One measure of family life: a quarter of residents are under 15. People 65 and over make up 8.9% of the town.
50.6% of Duleek’s residents are women
2,477 women and 2,422 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 25% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 28% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 24% |
| 65+ | 8.9% | 9.5% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 14% | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.2% | 7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 20% | 37% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Meath and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
No party holds a majority on Meath County Council: Independent lead with 11 of 40 seats, short of the 21 needed. Meath County Council runs Duleek: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it. This Co. Meath town sits in the Laytown-Bettystown local electoral area, which elects 7 councillors.
| Turnout | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 60% | 60% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 47% | 47% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Duleek has 29 inventory buildings for every 10,000 residents, near Co. Meath’s towns (29) and lower than Irish towns (48). 2.3% of homes date from before 1919. The archaeological record lists 22 sites here.
| Heritage | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 29 | 29 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 22 | 26 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Family carers: 4.2% of the people in Duleek look after someone without pay. 90% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Co. Meath’s towns (92%) but above Irish towns (88%). Ages taken into account, Duleek counts 102 people with a disability for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Duleek | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.2% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 90% | 92% | 88% |
| With a disability | 20% | 19% | 22% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.9% | 1.4% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Duleek. Best known first.
Abbey or prioryDuleek Abbeyin town
CastleAthcarne Castle3.3 km outside town, to the southNational parkNational parkBrú na Bóinne national park3.1 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttraction · Office of Public WorksBrú na Bóinne Visitor Centre Access3.1 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric siteHistoric site · Office of Public WorksNewgrange4.5 km outside town, to the northwestVisitor farmVisitor farmRed Mountain Open Farm2.6 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Duleek’s built heritage counts 14 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 22 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
3 notable people were born in Duleek.
Keane Barry: DARTS NOW, CC BY 3.0 · Susan Saurin: Unknown author Unknown author, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duleek | 4,899 | — | B+ | A− | A− | B− |
| Kentstown | 1,195 | 7.9 | — | B+ | C+ | B+ |
| Drogheda Louth | 44,135 | 7.9 | C− | C | C | C+ |
| Tullyallen Louth | 1,697 | 9 | — | C− | C | A− |
| Slane | 1,445 | 9.7 | — | B+ | A | A− |
| Stamullen | 3,720 | 11 | B+ | B+ | C | A |
| Laytown-Bettystown-Mornington-Donacarney | 15,642 | 12 | C+ | B | C | B− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Duleek had 4,899 people at the 2022 census, up from 4,374 in 2016: 12% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
6% mostly work from home, and 25% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
The median age in Duleek is 35.2, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Meath
4,899 people live in Duleek, in the area of Meath 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).