Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
33,886 people live in this town in Co. Meath. It skews young: only 10% of residents are 65 or over.
A solid town with one catch. Navan grades B overall and ranks #121 of 320 Irish towns. Set against the rest, it does better than 62% of Irish towns. On cost of living it is strong: the median sale, €350,000, comes to 5.6 times what the median household here earns. The drawback is jobs & income: unemployment is 10%, and 67% of 15 to 64s have a job. It is hard to get around without a car (C+): on the way to work, 18% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. The rest of its grades are middling: C+ for safety and B− for health.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · work, commuting and health, CSO Census 2022 · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
The 3 things Navan does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Navan 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 register holds 184 buildings on the National Inventory in Navan, 5 of them of national importance.
82 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 Navan.
Radon is rarely a worry in Navan: under 1% of homes are estimated above the reference level. Low-lying near a river: 1.5% of homes, above Co. Meath’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0.5%) alike.
| Share of homes | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 1.5% | 0% | 0.5% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | under 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Nearly two thirds of households own their home. In 2010 the typical home in Navan sold for €195K; by 2025 it was €367K, 88% more. Social housing holds 14% of households, above Co. Meath’s towns (9%) and close to Irish towns (13%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €375,000 | 430 |
| Second-hand homes | €320,000 | 1,124 |
| The last 12 months | €395,500 | 440 |
| Housing | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,422 | €1,677 | €1,606 |
| Households owning their home | 65% | 75% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 14% | 9% | 13% |
| Households renting privately | 20% | 14% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
The nearest secondary, Loreto Secondary School, is 0.2 km away. Just over a third of the schools are in the DEIS scheme, about level with Irish towns (35%) and above Co. Meath’s towns (0%). Families in Navan have 20 schools within 3 km to choose from: 13 primary schools, 5 secondary schools and 2 special schools.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Stephens N.S. Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 805 | Catholic |
| St Patrick's Classical School BoysLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 967 | Catholic |
| Gaelscoil Eanna GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 138 | Catholic |
| Beaufort College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 926 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 60% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 35% | 0% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 5% | 9% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | +2% | +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.
Commutes averaged 33.8 min, near Co. Meath’s towns (32.9 min) and higher than Irish towns (27.6 min). Average household income comes to €62,812 a year before tax.
| Census 2022 | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 33.8 min | 32.9 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 10% | 6.6% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €62,812 | €77,553 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 70% | 68% |
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.
Day and night, summer and winter, Navan averages 9.9°C. July afternoons reach 20.0°C here, in line with Co. Meath’s towns (19.9°C) and Irish towns (19.9°C). In January, overnight lows in Navan settle at 2.1°C.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.1°C | 2.0°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.9°C | 9.9°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 20.0°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 865 mm | 855 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
A short walk to green space: 83% of homes, below both Co. Meath’s towns (98%) and Irish towns (92%). Protected nature near Navan includes River Boyne. Green space in Navan adds up to 55 ha, across 2 parks.
| Outdoors | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 4.7% | 0.9% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 83% | 98% | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 2.2% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.7 km per km² | 1.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
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 26 km/h; the low is 9°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Tuesday, at about 5 mm for the day. The forecast for Navan beside its normal weather: a typical November day reaches 11°C and drops to 4°C at night.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 224 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 177 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 217 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 247 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
30% of adults hold a degree. Daily Irish speakers outside school: 1%, lower than both Co. Meath’s towns (1.4%) and Irish towns (1.1%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 14% of the population.
50.6% of Navan’s residents are women
17,150 women and 16,736 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 24% |
| 65+ | 9.5% | 8.9% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 10% | 7.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.4% | 7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 30% | 37% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Meath and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Navan answers to one council, Meath County Council; Ireland has no town tier. There is no majority on Meath County Council; Independent have the most seats, 11 of 40, short of 21. General election turnout: 58%, about level with Irish towns (59%) and below Co. Meath’s towns (60%).
| Turnout | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 60% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 47% | 47% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
82 archaeological sites are on the record, above both Co. Meath’s towns (22) and Irish towns (11). The pre-1919 share of homes is 1.8%.
| Heritage | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archaeological sites on the record | 82 | 22 | 11 |
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 54 | 29 | 48 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more incidents per resident: they are counted where they happen, not where victims live.
Among the graded crimes in Navan, the most frequent was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). The violent crime rate is 5.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Burglary and damage came to 6 per 1,000 residents a year, above Co. Meath’s towns (4.2) but below 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 | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 22.1 | 9 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 6 | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 54.4 | 36.7 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 5.1 | 3.7 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Self-reported good health: 89% of Navan’s residents. A disability affects 20% of people locally. Unpaid caring falls to 4.6% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Navan | Co. Meath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.6% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 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 Navan. Best known first.
CastleAthlumney Castlein town
Abbey or prioryBective Abbey4.6 km outside town, to the south
CastleDurhamstown Castle4.6 km outside town, to the westArt galleryArt gallerySolstice Arts Centrein townCastleCastleDunmoe Castle1.4 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric houseHistoric houseDonaghmore Round Tower800 m outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 184 buildings in Navan, 5 of national or international importance. The national record lists 82 archaeological sites in and around the town.
32 notable people were born in Navan.
Francis Beaufort: Stephen Pearce, Public domain · Dylan Moran: Fernando de Sousa of Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Paul Tighe: ITU/I.Wood, CC BY 2.0 · Gary Rogers: Seaninryan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Victor Daley: Unknown Unknown (downloaded from National Library of Australia), Public domain · Ian Clarke: Javalangstring, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Navan had 33,886 people at the 2022 census, up from 30,092 in 2016: 12.6% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Navan is 35.6, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
73% of working residents drive to work and 18% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%). 9% mostly work from home, and 29% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Meath
33,886 people live in Navan, 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).