What is the employment rate in Kildare?

The employment rate in Kildare was 57.9% according to Census 2022, compared to a national average of 55.2%. IrelandInsights maps employment at electoral division level for every county in Ireland.

What is the housing tenure breakdown in Kildare?

In Kildare, 78.4% of households are owner-occupied and 9.6% rent privately, according to Census 2022. The national averages are 76.2% owner-occupied and 11.0% privately rented.

Census Profile · Kildare · 2022

County Kildare — Employment — second in Ireland

Kildare ranks second of Ireland's 30 counties for employment rate at 57.9%. The national average is 55.2% — a gap of 2.7pp that places Kildare near the top of this ranking. Census 2022 data mapped at electoral division level shows the figure is not distributed evenly within the county.

        Kildare is +2.7pp vs national on employment rate.
      

Key statistics — County Kildare

Employment

57.9%

#2 of 30 counties

National Average

55.2%

employment rate

Employment Rate

57.9%

National: 55.2%

Third-Level

55.1%

National: 52.6%

Top electoral divisions — Employment in Kildare

The electoral divisions within County Kildare with the highest employment rate, Census 2022.

Electoral Division	Employment Rate
1. NAAS RURAL	67.8%
2. KILLASHEE	67%
3. KILCOCK	65.2%
4. NEWTOWN	63.9%
5. QUINSBOROUGH	63.8%

Explore Kildare data on the map

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

Employment — second in Ireland — Kildare map Employment — Kildare Housing — Kildare

County Kildare — what stands out

What stands out?

County Kildare has one of Ireland's lowest housing vacancy rates, ranking 25th nationally — 6.0% in Census 2022.

Why does it matter?

Housing vacancy is a barometer of housing demand and population pressure. A high rate signals supply vastly exceeding demand — whether from rural depopulation, seasonal use, or post-2008 ghost estates. A low rate signals the opposite: demand that supply cannot match, which directly drives rent and price inflation.

How does it compare nationally?

Kildare6.0%

National avg14.4%

Difference-8.4pp

Rank25 / 26

What's the likely explanation?

A low vacancy rate signals high housing demand relative to supply — typical in urban-dominated counties where rental pressure keeps dwellings occupied and new supply struggles to keep up. Low vacancy is a precondition for housing affordability pressure: when vacancy falls below ~3%, rents and prices typically rise faster than incomes.

County Kildare — census data context

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

Compare counties

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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 Kildare · Electoral Division averages · cso.ie/census