Census Profile · Dublin · 2022

County Dublin — Private renting — first in Ireland

Dublin ranks first of Ireland's 26 counties for private renting rate at 24.1%. The national average is 18.0% — a gap of 6.1pp that places Dublin at the top of this ranking. Census 2022 data mapped at electoral division level shows the figure is not distributed evenly within the county.

Dublin is +6.1pp vs national on private renting rate.

Key statistics — County Dublin

Private renting
24.1%
#1 of 26 counties
National Average
18.0%
private renting rate
Employment Rate
58.8%
National: 56.1%
Third-Level
49.4%
National: 42.4%

Top electoral divisions — Rented in Dublin

The electoral divisions within County Dublin with the highest rented rate, Census 2022.

Electoral DivisionRented Rate
1. USHERS A 73.9%
2. MOUNTJOY B 69.4%
3. RATHMINES WEST A 64.9%
4. CLONSKEAGH-BELFIELD 64%
5. MANSION HOUSE B 63.6%

Explore Dublin data on the map

Every electoral division in County Dublin is mapped. Hover to inspect Census 2022 figures or ask the AI analyst for a plain-language explanation.

Private renting — first in Ireland — Dublin map Employment — Dublin Housing — Dublin

County Dublin — what stands out

What stands out?
County Dublin has one of Ireland's highest private renting rates, ranking 2nd nationally — 19.4% in Census 2022.
Why does it matter?
Dublin's dominance shapes every national average — property prices, employment rates, education, and income are all elevated by the capital's weight. Comparing any Irish county to the national average is implicitly comparing it to a benchmark that Dublin has pulled upwards. Understanding any Irish metric requires knowing where Dublin sits.
How does it compare nationally?
Dublin19.4%
National avg11.0%
Difference+8.4pp
Rank2 / 26
What's the likely explanation?
Dublin's very high renting rate reflects the concentration of young professionals, migrants, and students in the capital. With property prices far above national averages, owner-occupation is out of reach for a large share of the working population — even dual-income households. The city's economic dominance draws workers from every county, sustaining demand that keeps vacancy near zero and rents at a persistent premium.

Why Dublin looks the way it does

Dublin's modern economy was built in two waves. The International Financial Services Centre, established in the docklands in 1987 with a flat 10% corporate tax rate for designated financial activities, drew over 300 financial institutions and around 18,000 jobs to what had been a derelict quay. By 2011 the same docklands had a second identity: "Silicon Docks," as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft opened major European offices there — the tech wave layering onto the finance wave rather than replacing it.

That concentration of high-paying multinational employment is also why Dublin's housing and rental figures look the way they do elsewhere on this site: sustained, well-paid demand from workers drawn from every county, competing for a fixed housing stock in a small capital.

Sources: IFSC Facts & History · The rise of Dublin's Silicon Docks

County Dublin — census data context

County-level figures aggregate all electoral divisions within Dublin. The map reveals the internal variation those county averages suppress — the gap between the most and least deprived EDs in Dublin is typically far wider than the county-to-national difference highlighted above. View the full Dublin area guide →

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Ireland census guides

→ Where to live in Ireland → Housing crisis by area → Home ownership rates → Education levels → Unemployment by area → Commuter towns → Deprivation map → Population growth
Data: CSO Census 2022 · County Dublin · Electoral Division averages · cso.ie/census