Fall in Dundalk but rest of Louth sees rise in number signing on
Live Register figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there was a fall in Dundalk last month in the number of people signing on but a rise elsewhere in Louth
Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that there was a fall in the number of people signing on in Dundalk in October, but a rise in both Ardee and Drogheda.
3,162 people signed on in Dundalk in October 2026, down 143 on the 3,305 who signed on in the town in September 2026. It is up by nine however on the 3,153 who signed on in Dundalk in October 2025.
In Ardee, 700 people signed on in October, up 17 on the 683 who signed on in the mid-Louth town in September. The figure is up also by 20, on the 680 who signed on in Ardee in October 2025.
3,297 people signed on in Drogheda in October 2025. It is up 52 on the 3,245 who signed on in the town in September, and also up by 154 who signed on in October 2025.
Nationally, the seasonally adjusted Live Register total for October 2026 was 172,800 people, up by 400 people from September 2026.
The unadjusted Live Register total stood at 168,352 people for October 2026, of which 55.2% were male and 72.6% were Irish. This was a rise of 2,493 people or 1.5% when compared with October 2025.
The 25 to 34 years age group made up the largest number of those on the Live Register in October 2026 at 40,436 people or 24.0% of the total.
The counties that recorded the largest percentage increases in the number of people on the Live Register in the 12 months to October 2026 were Longford (+7.3%) and Dublin (+5.3%), while the largest decreases were in Kerry (-9.2%) and Monaghan (-9.0%).
There were 115,870 people on the Live Register for less than one year, which was 68.8% of the total number of people on the Live Register.