What is the employment rate in Waterford?

The employment rate in Waterford was 55.9% 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 Waterford?

In Waterford, 82.2% of households are owner-occupied and 7.1% rent privately, according to Census 2022. The national averages are 76.2% owner-occupied and 11.0% privately rented.

Census Profile · Waterford · 2022

County Waterford — Unemployment — #29 in Ireland

Waterford records one of the lowest unemployment rate figures in Ireland at 3.4%, against a national average of 4.3%. The gap reflects a highly active labour market relative to most Irish counties. Electoral division data shows the pattern is not uniform — certain EDs within Waterford diverge sharply from the headline county figure.

        Waterford is -0.9pp vs national on unemployment rate.
      

Key statistics — County Waterford

Unemployment

3.4%

#29 of 30 counties

National Average

4.3%

unemployment rate

Owner-Occupied

82.2%

National: 76.2%

Unemployment

3.4%

National: 4.3%

Top electoral divisions — Unemployment in Waterford

The electoral divisions within County Waterford with the highest unemployment rate, Census 2022.

Electoral Division	Unemployment Rate
1. KILBARRYMEADEN	9.9%
2. DUNGARVAN No. 1 URBAN	7.9%
3. TALLOW	7.2%
4. MOUNTSTUART	6.9%
5. KILMACTHOMAS	6%

Explore Waterford data on the map

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

Unemployment — #29 in Ireland — Waterford map Employment — Waterford Housing — Waterford

County Waterford — what stands out

What stands out?

County Waterford has one of Ireland's lowest private renting rates, ranking 24th nationally — 7.1% in Census 2022.

Why does it matter?

Renting rates reveal the balance between housing tenure types and the affordability of homeownership in a county. High renting indicates either strong demand from a mobile or young population, or property prices too high for first-time buyers. It concentrates housing insecurity when rents rise faster than wages.

How does it compare nationally?

Waterford7.1%

National avg9.1%

Difference-2.0pp

Rank24 / 26

What's the likely explanation?

The private renting rate in Waterford reflects a combination of geographic, economic, and demographic factors. The map shows considerable variation within the county — individual electoral divisions often differ significantly from the county average.

County Waterford — census data context

County-level figures aggregate all electoral divisions within Waterford. The map reveals the internal variation those county averages suppress — the gap between the most and least deprived EDs in Waterford is typically far wider than the county-to-national difference highlighted above. View the full Waterford 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 Waterford · Electoral Division averages · cso.ie/census