Rathnew in Wicklow came out top of our table of the towns with some of the worst statistics on the 2006 Census.
The population of Rathnew is 1849
Unemployment is 11.07% – almost double the National Average of 5.92%)
and 7.01% of the workforce are unable to work because of ill health – about 50% over the national average of 4.71%
Of those working – the majority work in building and construction (14.44% of the workforce).Lone parent households make up 24.29% of family units in Rathnew – which is almost 25% above the average in Ireland of 19.3%.
Local Authority rented homes make up 19.31% of the dwelling units in Rathnew – compared to 9.06% average for the country.
Central Heating – 14.44% of all dwellings in Rathnew have no central heating – which is about 40% higher than the country as a whole (10.22%).
Of the people living in Rathnew who have completed their education in – 24.71% went no further than primary school or had no formal education at all. This is almost 50% above the national average of 16.72%. Graduates make up 7.68% of the Rathnew population – again almost 50% lower than the average for the Irish population.
Less people are involved in voluntary work in Rathnew than the national average. Just 9.95% of the over 15s in Rathnew do some sort of voluntary work compared to the national average of 15.42% – about 30% less.
The population of Rathnew has a younger profile than the national average. Only 24.5% of Rathnew residents are over 45 compared to 30.9% for the whole of Ireland. This is not a factor used in compiling the chart – but it is interesting to note it.
All these figures are based on detailed analysis of the 2006 Census of Ireland.