Rural Ireland's Census 2022 comeback — population, remote work and recovery

Census 2022 captured rural Ireland at a moment of demographic change — the first post-pandemic count, the first to measure remote working at scale, and the first to show population recovery in counties that had been declining for decades. IrelandInsights maps every electoral division, including the most rural.

Rural Ireland in numbers — Census 2022

What Census 2022 shows about rural demographics

• Population recovery in the west: Counties that had been losing population for years — including Leitrim, Roscommon, and parts of Mayo — recorded population growth in Census 2022 for the first time since the 1970s in some areas. Remote working is the primary driver.
• Home ownership dominance: Rural Ireland has the highest home ownership rates in the country. Leitrim, Roscommon, and Mayo have 75–80% owner-occupied households — far above Dublin or Cork city. This reflects both cultural preference and the absence of a private rental market at scale.
• Education gap narrowing: Third-level attainment in rural counties has risen sharply since 2016. While the gap to Dublin and Wicklow remains significant, counties like Galway (including rural areas), Clare, and Kilkenny now approach national averages — driven by return migration and remote worker in-flows.
• Older age profile: Rural Ireland has a higher median age than urban Ireland. The challenge of retaining young people — particularly 18–34-year-olds — is visible in Census 2022 age pyramids for the most rural EDs in Leitrim, Mayo, and Donegal.
• Household size declining: Average household size in rural areas has fallen toward the national average as older inhabitants age in place and the historic pattern of large families continues to change.

Remote work and rural repopulation

The 2022 census was the first to capture home-based working as a significant phenomenon. The electoral divisions with the highest remote working rates are concentrated in two areas: south Dublin (where highly-paid professionals work from home) and the rural west — particularly Leitrim, Roscommon, and west Galway.

This represents a structural shift. Towns like Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle, and Strokestown have seen increased residential demand — visible in housing market data and in Census 2022 occupancy and household formation figures.

Agriculture and rural employment

Agriculture remains a significant employer in the most rural EDs. Census 2022 shows that EDs in Roscommon, Leitrim, Mayo, and Donegal with high agricultural employment also have the highest home ownership rates and the lowest median ages in children — family farm succession remains a social stabiliser in these areas.

Manufacturing and food processing are the other major rural employers — concentrated in county towns. The IDA-anchored pharma and medtech clusters in towns like Sligo, Athlone, Clonmel, and Carlow provide well-paying employment that anchors the surrounding rural catchment.

Explore rural counties

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