Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3,013 people call this town in Co. Westmeath home. Its population rose 14% from 2016 to 2022.
Good on most counts; one lags. Its best grade is for cost of living: prices run to a median €260,500, 4.9 times local household income. Health outcomes beat most towns (B+). Getting around depends on the car (C): one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. Hazard risk is higher than most: an estimated 13% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. The overall grade lands at A−, #74 of 320 Irish towns. That leaves it better than 77% of Irish towns.
Figures: prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level. 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 Moate does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Moate 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 →
9 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Moate.
The private rented sector houses nearly a quarter of households. Social housing holds 14% of households, higher than Co. Westmeath’s towns (13%) and near Irish towns (13%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Second-hand homes | €240,000 | 169 |
| The last 12 months | €290,000 | 57 |
| Housing | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,208 | €1,290 | €1,606 |
| Median sale price | €261K | €270K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 24% | 27% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Landslides: none of Moate lies in a high-susceptibility zone. Its homes mostly stand clear of low ground by water.
| Share of homes | Moate | Co. Westmeath | 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.
Allowing for its ages, Moate has 101 residents with a disability per 100 expected, lower than both Co. Westmeath’s towns (111) and Irish towns (106). Unpaid caring falls to 5% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 5% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 88% | 88% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
More of the graded crimes in Moate were assaults and harassment than anything else (2023–2025). Violent crime ran at 4 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Westmeath’s towns (8.9) and Irish towns (5.7). For its size, Moate records less crime per resident than 77% of the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
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 | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 4.1 | 8 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 4 | 8.9 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 48.3 | 73.8 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Across the year it averages 9.8°C, near Co. Westmeath’s towns (9.8°C) and lower than Irish towns (10.3°C). December is the wettest month in Moate, with 98 mm of rain on average. The town is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 2.0°C | 1.9°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 9.8°C | 9.8°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.8°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 964 mm | 930 mm | 937 mm |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
85% of homes are within 400 m of green space. 3 parks and 26 ha of green space in all: that is Moate’s share. Green space comes to 8.6 ha per 1,000 people in the town, above both Co. Westmeath’s towns (1.4 ha) and Irish towns (4.1 ha).
| Outdoors | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near a park | 85% | 63% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 2.4% | 6.1% | 2.7% |
| Green space per 1,000 residents | 8.6 ha | 1.4 ha | 4.1 ha |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.7 km per km² | 0.8 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
The coming days top out somewhere between 7°C and 11°C; Thursday looks warmest. Judged by the averages, Moate sees November days reach 10°C and nights fall to 4°C. Expect little more than a sprinkle today, wind picking up to 24 km/h, and a low of 6°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 2°C | 266 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 192 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 241 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 6°C | 266 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Daily Irish speakers outside school: 0.4%, about level with Co. Westmeath’s towns (0.7%) and below Irish towns (1.1%). Over-65s are 15% of the population. 18% of residents were born abroad.
51.8% of Moate’s residents are women
1,562 women and 1,451 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 23% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 31% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| 65+ | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 9.8% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 14% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 34% | 36% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 7.2% | 6.7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 35% | 33% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Westmeath and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
With 9 of 20 seats, Fianna Fáil are the largest group on Westmeath County Council, short of the 11 a majority needs. Westmeath County Council runs Moate: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it. The town sits in the Moate local electoral area, which elects 4 councillors.
| Turnout | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 56% | 47% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 58% | 58% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The ground here holds 9 recorded archaeological sites. 5.2% of homes date from before 1919. 62 of Moate’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 1 rank of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 206 | 79 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 9 | 43 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 5.2% | 3.2% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
37% of trips took under 15 minutes, between Co. Westmeath’s towns (44%) and Irish towns (31%). The car carried just over four in five commuters at the census. The commute to work averages 25.6 min.
| Census 2022 | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 25.6 min | 28 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 37% | 44% | 31% |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 12% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 67% | 65% | 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.
The nearest secondary, Moate Community School, is 0.4 km away. Families in the town have 4 schools within 3 km to choose from: 3 primary schools and 1 secondary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Brigid's Primary School Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 241 | Catholic |
| Moate Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 913 | Inter-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Moate | Co. Westmeath | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 0% | 33% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | – | 39% |
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 6% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · You won’t find letters or results below: Ireland publishes none for single schools.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Moate. Best known first.
62 of Moate’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage; 1 rank of national or international importance. The national record lists 9 archaeological sites in and around the town.
8 notable people were born in Moate.
Arthur Booth-Clibborn: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · William Duckett White: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Ray Lynam: Joseywales1961, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Moate had 3,013 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,642 in 2016: 14% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
9% mostly work from home, and 37% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
The median age in Moate is 39, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 22% of residents are under 15 and 15% are 65 or over.
Urban area in Co. Westmeath
3,013 people live in Moate, in the area of Westmeath 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).