Drogheda leading the way
DROGHEDA is now the biggest town in the country, it has been confirmed.
The latest release from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) confirms that Drogheda is now the largest town in the county, province and coutry with a population of 40,956.
The population of the town has increased by 6.2% since 2011 making it the largest town in Ireland.
Swords (39,248) and Dundalk (39,004) complete the top three.
The fastest growing town in the county in percentage terms was Clogherhead, which experienced 7.6% population growth between 2011 and 2016.
As of April 2016, the total population in Louth stands at 128,884 with 66.1% (85,224) of Louth’s population live in urban areas and 33.9% (43,660) living in rural areas.
Nationally, 62.7% lived in urban areas and 37.3% in rural areas.
The report also shows that most Louthians are homebirds at heart as of the 5,945 usual Louth residents who moved in the year to April 2016, most (4,200) moved elsewhere within the county.
33.8% of the population in Louth were born outside the county but are now living here and 19.2% were born outside Ireland.
Almost 35% of those born in Louth are now living in another county, according to the census.
The vast majority of people who have recently moved to the county are renting their new homes, the figures show, as just 473 of the 2,412 Louth households who moved in the year preceding the census bought their new home with a mortgage or loan, while 1,626 rented their accommodation.
The statistics are the second in the series of eleven thematic reports from Census 2016 – Profile 2: Population Distribution and Movements.
This report is accompanied by a set of detailed population by area tables, published on the CSO website, which provide the population for every settlement in Ireland for 2016 and 2011.