Over 1,000 people in Clare are growing up in an area deemed either very or extremely disadvantaged.
The latest report from Pobal shows that Urban Kilrush is the most severely deprived settlement in the county.
Based on factors such as progression to third level education, lone parent ratio and unemployment, the government organisation profiled the deprivation level of 19,000 small areas in the country.
Although Clare was just one of six counties along with Cork, Galway, Dublin, Kildare and Meath to score marginally above average, there are clear disparities on show across the county.
Urban Kilrush was the only area here to be classed as extremely disadvantaged, out of a population of 306 , only 6% are attending third level , one in three are unemployed, while 47% of households were recorded as lone parent families.
In Kilkee, 238 people were classed as very disadvantaged and of this cohort 40% are considered age dependent, meaning they are either too young to work or have retired.
In Newmarket-On-Fergus a further 273 people were living in a very disadvantaged area in addition to 175 in Miltown Malbay.
This figure rose to 406 in Cloughleigh, Ennis we’re the lone parent ratio is highest at 54%.
Elsewhere just 6km away the Templemaley area was deemed affluent , here two thirds of the 292 strong population were in third level education, the unemployment rate was 2.75% and the lone parent ration was just 3%.
