Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Between 2016 and 2022, its population grew by 9%. Home to 394 people, this town lies in Co. Sligo.
Riverstown takes 4.6 years of the median household income to buy the median home, at €217,500. Its architectural heritage runs to 11 buildings on the national inventory. Walking, cycling and public transport carry one in ten commuters. Homes here sold for a median €183,200 over 2023 to 2025.
There are no grades for Riverstown: Irish towns need 1,000 residents for them.
The 3 things Riverstown does most differently from other towns.
2 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Riverstown.
An estimated nearly one in ten homes in Riverstown have radon above the reference level. Radon: a fifth of homes are in high-radon areas, above Irish towns (0%). Landslides: none of Riverstown lies in a high-susceptibility zone.
| Share of homes | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 82% | – | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 20% | – | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Riverstown gets 1,313 mm of rain a year. The year’s mean temperature is 9.6°C, lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). Winter lows in Riverstown average 2.0°C in January.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 18.8°C | – | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,313 mm | – | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.6°C | – | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.0°C | – | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Disability touches 29% of Riverstown’s population. Allowing for its ages, Riverstown has 131 residents with a disability per 100 expected, above Irish towns (106). Unpaid caring falls to 8.1% of the town’s residents. In the HSE West and North West health region, 34% of people hold a medical card.
| Census 2022 | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 8.1% | – | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | – | 2% |
| With a disability | 29% | – | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 83% | – | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
62% of households own their home, close to Irish towns (61%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €195,000 | 38 |
| Housing | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €218K | – | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 15% | – | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Among the protected sites near Riverstown is Unshin River SAC. Its paths and tracks come to 0.1 km per km², lower than Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Green space lies within 400 m of 100% of homes.
| Outdoors | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 9.8% | – | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.1 km per km² | – | 2.1 km per km² |
| Near a park | 100% | – | 92% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 3.3% | – | 1.8% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Usually, November days warm to 10°C and nights cool to 4°C; Riverstown’s forecast is read against that. Nothing falls from the sky today, by the look of it; the wind keeps to 18 km/h or less, and the low is 4°C. The warmest afternoon ahead comes on Thursday, at 10°C; the coolest tops out at 7°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 385 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 262 mm |
| Summer | 18°C | 11°C | 301 mm |
| Autumn | 13°C | 7°C | 365 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Commutes averaged 25.2 min, below Irish towns (27.6 min). At the census, four in five commuters went by car. Average household income comes to €47,060 a year before tax.
| Census 2022 | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 65% | – | 68% |
| Median household income | €47,060 | – | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.1% | – | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 25.2 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.
22% are under 15, higher than Irish towns (20%). One measure of its mix: 17% of residents were born abroad. Also worth knowing: over-65s are 16% of the population.
52.0% of Riverstown’s residents are women
205 women and 189 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | – | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | – | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | – | 29% |
| 45–64 | 28% | – | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | – | 14% |
| Primary or none | 12% | – | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 15% | – | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | – | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 8.4% | – | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 26% | – | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Sligo and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Fianna Fáil lead Sligo County Council with 6 of 18 seats, but no party has a majority: 10 are needed. Turnout at the general election came to 61%. Sligo County Council runs Riverstown: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it.
| Turnout | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 63% | – | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | – | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Homes from before 1919 make up 15.4% of the total, above Irish towns (3.4%). The archaeological record lists 2 sites here.
| Heritage | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 279 | – | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 15.4% | – | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 2 | – | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Since 2019/20, pupils changed −2%, below Irish towns (+4%). Within 3 km of Riverstown there are 4 schools (3 primary schools and 1 secondary school). The nearest secondary, Coola Post Primary School, is 2.5 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sooey N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 112 | Catholic |
| Coola Post Primary SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 514 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Riverstown | Co. Sligo | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | – | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | – | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | – | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | −2% | – | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
One place to visit is mapped within 5 km of Riverstown; with it, the best known within 40 km.
Castle · Office of Public WorksParke's Castle15 km north
CathedralCathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo16 km north
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksSligo Abbey16 km north
Abbey or priory · Office of Public WorksBoyle Abbey19 km south
CastleBallymote Castle9.7 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
11 of Riverstown’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 2 archaeological sites in and around the town.
One notable person was born in Riverstown; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Shane Filan: Harrywad, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mark Feehily: Can't stop shooting film from Nha Trang, Vietnam, CC BY 2.0 · Kian Egan: Harrywad, CC BY-SA 3.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverstown | 394 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Collooney | 1,797 | 8.3 | — | B+ | A− | C+ |
| Ballymote | 1,711 | 9.6 | — | A+ | A− | B |
| Ballysadare | 1,747 | 12 | — | B+ | A− | B+ |
| Coolaney | 1,155 | 14 | — | A− | A+ | B |
| Sligo | 20,608 | 16 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
9% mostly work from home, and 32% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Riverstown had 394 people at the 2022 census, up from 361 in 2016: 9.1% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Riverstown is 39.8, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 22% of residents are under 15 and 16% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Sligo
394 people live in Riverstown, in the area of Sligo 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). 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).