What is the employment rate in Leitrim?

The employment rate in Leitrim was 52.4% 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 Leitrim?

In Leitrim, 79.3% of households are owner-occupied and 8.9% rent privately, according to Census 2022. The national averages are 76.2% owner-occupied and 11.0% privately rented.

Census Profile · Leitrim · 2022

County Leitrim — Vacancy rate — second in Ireland

Leitrim ranks second of Ireland's 30 counties for vacant dwellings rate at 26.1%. The national average is 14.2% — a gap of 11.9pp that places Leitrim near the top of this ranking. Census 2022 data mapped at electoral division level shows the figure is not distributed evenly within the county.

        Leitrim is +11.9pp vs national on vacant dwellings rate.
      

Key statistics — County Leitrim

Vacancy rate

26.1%

#2 of 30 counties

National Average

14.2%

vacant dwellings rate

Employment Rate

52.4%

National: 55.2%

Third-Level

53.4%

National: 52.6%

Top electoral divisions — Vacant Dwellings in Leitrim

The electoral divisions within County Leitrim with the highest vacant dwellings rate, Census 2022.

Electoral Division	Vacant Dwellings Rate
1. DRUMREILLY WEST/DRUMREILLY EAST	47.1%
2. MUNAKILL	42.7%
3. KILTUBBRID	39.1%
4. GLENFARN	37.8%
5. YUGAN	37.4%

Explore Leitrim data on the map

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

Vacancy rate — second in Ireland — Leitrim map Employment — Leitrim Housing — Leitrim

County Leitrim — what stands out

What stands out?

Leitrim has the highest housing vacancy rate in Ireland at well above the national average, and the smallest population of any county — a combination that reflects over a century of persistent outmigration.

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?

Leitrim26.1%

National avg14.4%

Difference+11.8pp

Rank2 / 26

What's the likely explanation?

Leitrim's high vacancy and low population trace to a long history of outmigration dating from the Famine era. The county lost a greater share of its population than almost anywhere else in Ireland during the 19th and 20th centuries, and the recovery has been slow. Property here is among the most affordable in Ireland — which attracts remote workers and retirees — but low density creates a chicken-and-egg problem for services, employment, and infrastructure investment.

County Leitrim — census data context

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

Compare counties

Sligo Roscommon Longford Cavan Donegal Dublin Cork

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 Leitrim · Electoral Division averages · cso.ie/census