Town comparison · Dundalk vs Wexford

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Dundalk or Wexford?

Both towns measured at town level, not the wider Eircode area, on the same 53 figures: prices, schools, amenities, social life, commute, affluence and safety.

Dundalk, Co. Louth · A91 · 25,188 people | Wexford, Co. Wexford · Y35 · 22,366 people

Wexford is the stronger town on the data. It leads on 3 of the 7 dimensions to Dundalk’s 1, with 3 level.

Dundalk leads on
education levels
Wexford leads on
safetyaffordabilityaccess to its nearest city
201122

Dundalk aheadlevel or not comparableWexford ahead

AffluenceEducationAmenitiesTransportSafetyAffordabilityCity access
DundalkWexford
iDundalk sits in A91, Wexford in Y35. Each figure below is tagged with the geographic level it’s actually measured at. The town ahead on a row is the one in green. Scores and percentages are charted against a true 0 to 100 scale; every other row is charted against the larger of the two towns, so the bars compare but don’t imply a ceiling.

Outlines are each town’s CSO Small Areas — the exact footprint every figure is measured over.

Dundalk
Wexford

Size

TOWN · census

Resident population at the 2022 CSO census, summed over the Small Areas that make up each town. Not scored: a bigger town isn’t a better one, it just explains why the counts below differ.

25,188
Population
22,366

Prices & market

TOWN · exact
€300k
Median sale pricelower is better
€275k
Wexford leads
€225k – €366k
Typical range (P25–P75)
€200k – €350k
1,231
Sales (24m)
2,083
+4.9%
Price momentum (YoY)
+37.8%
29.2%
New-build share
12.7%

Schools, health & amenities

TOWN · counts

Facilities in and around each town — each counted once, for the town it’s closest to. Bigger towns naturally score higher — read alongside population.

18 prim · 8 sec
Schools
8 prim · 5 sec
Dundalk leads
Dundalk · 27 schools (largest first)
St Vincent's Secondary School Secondary
927 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
St Mary's College Secondary
905 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Coláiste Chú Chulainn Secondary
897 pupils · 50% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
De La Salle College Secondary
760 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Colaiste Rís Secondary
622 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Dundalk Grammar School Secondary
590 pupils · 90% to 3rd-level · CHURCH OF IRELANDFee-paying
St Louis Secondary School Secondary
498 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · CATHOLICDEIS
Ó Fiaich College Secondary
312 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Dundalk Institute Of Technology Third-level
enrolment n/a · college
Scoil Mhuire Na Ngael Primary
626 pupils · Catholic
St Josephs N S Primary
569 pupils · CatholicDEIS
C.b.s. Primary Primary
493 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Scoil Na Gcreagacha Dubha Primary
474 pupils · Catholic
Réalt Na Mara School Primary
455 pupils · Catholic
St. Francis National School Primary
433 pupils · Catholic
S N N Maolmhaodhagh B Primary
232 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Fhursa Primary
231 pupils · Catholic
S N N Maolmhaodhagh C Primary
230 pupils · Catholic
Gaelscoil Dhun Dealgan Primary
216 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N N Maolmhaodhagh N Primary
215 pupils · Catholic
Castletown Rd Convent Primary
185 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N An Tslanaitheora B Primary
166 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N San Nioclas Primary
161 pupils · Church Of IrelandDEIS
St Nicholas Monastery Ns Primary
160 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S.n Eoin Baiste Primary
159 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N An Tslanaitheora C Primary
158 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Dun Dealgan N S Primary
84 pupils · Presbyterian
Wexford · 13 schools (largest first)
Presentation Secondary School Secondary
981 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Loreto Secondary School Secondary
930 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
St Peter's College Secondary
784 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Christian Brothers Secondary School Secondary
721 pupils · 70% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Selskar College (coláiste Sheilscire) Secondary
390 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Scoil Mhuire Coolcotts Primary
612 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Convent Of Mercy Primary
406 pupils · CatholicDEIS
S N Clochar Mhuire Primary
380 pupils · Catholic
Cbs Primary Wexford Primary
366 pupils · Catholic
Faythe Convent Primary
236 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Gaelscoil Loch Garman Primary
207 pupils · Catholic
Wexford Educate Together National School Primary
205 pupils · Multi Denominational
St Iberius N S Primary
79 pupils · Church Of Ireland
35
Creches
22
Dundalk leads
4
GP practices
12
Wexford leads
19
Pharmacies
19
1
Hospitals
3
Wexford leads
129
Bus stops
94
Dundalk leads
1
Rail / Luas stops
1
24
Gyms & leisure
25
Wexford leads
15
Parks & playgrounds
15
108
Sports pitches
71
Dundalk leads

Social life

TOWN · counts

Places to eat, drink and go out in and around each town — each counted once, for the town it’s closest to. The residents per venue row is the fairer read — raw counts just track town size, so a big town wins by being big.

34
Restaurants
42
Wexford leads
20
Cafés
35
Wexford leads
43
Pubs & bars
42
Dundalk leads
24
Takeaways
28
Wexford leads
1
Nightclubs
0
Dundalk leads
4
Cinema & theatre
5
Wexford leads
200
Residents per venuelower is better
147
Wexford leads
#9 of 65 large towns
Most vibrant (national)lower is better
#7 of 65 large towns
Wexford leads

Day-to-day

TOWN · counts

The errands you run without thinking about them. Same caveat — read the residents-per-service row alongside the counts.

11
Supermarkets
10
Dundalk leads
39
Convenience shops
19
Dundalk leads
16
Bakery, butcher & greengrocer
9
Dundalk leads
4
Banks
5
Wexford leads
4
Post offices
1
Dundalk leads
18
Hairdressers
43
Wexford leads
2
Dentists
15
Wexford leads
4
Vets
3
Dundalk leads
16
Filling stations
12
Dundalk leads
10
EV charging
28
Wexford leads
5
Library & community centre
11
Wexford leads
195
Residents per shop or servicelower is better
143
Wexford leads

Commute by car

TOWN · from centre

Drive time from the town centre to each city centre — typical off-peak, with an estimated weekday rush hour. OSRM road routing.

171m · ~185 rush
Waterfordlower is better
50m · ~65 rush
Wexford leads
65m · ~100 rush
Dublinlower is better
107m · ~140 rush
Dundalk leads
232m · ~255 rush
Corklower is better
147m · ~170 rush
Wexford leads
193m · ~210 rush
Limericklower is better
160m · ~180 rush
Wexford leads
189m · ~215 rush
Galwaylower is better
222m · ~245 rush
Dundalk leads

Affluence & profile

ELECTORAL DIVISION
-5.6
Affluence (Pobal HP)
-6.3
Dundalk leads
Dundalk · 6 EDs, poorest → richest
-14Dundalk No. 2 UrbanDisadvantaged
-13Dundalk No. 1 UrbanDisadvantaged
-8Dundalk Rural (north)Disadvantaged
-7Dundalk No. 4 UrbanBelow average
-5Dundalk No. 3 UrbanBelow average
+4HaggardstownAbove average
Wexford · 10 EDs, poorest → richest
-13Wexford No. 2 UrbanDisadvantaged
-6DrinaghBelow average
-6Wexford No. 1 UrbanBelow average
-5Wexford RuralBelow average
-5ArdcavanBelow average
-4DrinaghBelow average
-4Wexford No. 3 UrbanBelow average
+0ArdcavanAbove average
+0CarrickAbove average
+1CarrickAbove average
38.3%
Third-level educated
32.6%
Dundalk leads
32.6%
Professional class
31.8%
Dundalk leads
13.1%
Unemploymentlower is better
11.3%
Wexford leads
62.9%
Owner-occupier
60.3%
Dundalk leads
21.7%
Private rental
22.1%
10.6%
Social housing (LA)
13.3%

Liveability & safety

AREA · A91 / Y35

Wider-area figures, not the town. Quality of life & rank are for the whole Eircode area each town sits in (Dundalk → A91, Wexford → Y35); safety & crime are the Louth Garda division.

67/100
Quality of Life
64/100
Dundalk leads

Quality of Life is the equal-weighted average of these seven 0–100 dimensions, scored for the whole Eircode routing area (A91 / Y35) from official data — Garda crime, CSO income & census, OPW flood, EPA water, and transport/healthcare/broadband coverage. Refreshed quarterly. The dashed line is each town’s overall score (that average) — dimensions to its right beat the average, to its left fall short. Two towns can share a score with a very different mix.

DundalkWexfordOverall (avg)
Safety67546464
Affordability9494
Infrastructure9368
Family7370
Education3838
Environment8282
Economic3233
020406080100020406080100
#31
National ranklower is better
#58
Dundalk leads
#1
County rank
#1
54/100
Safety
64/100
Wexford leads
68
Crime / 1,000lower is better
52.9
Wexford leads

Affluence range

Pobal HP deprivation index, published per Electoral Division, so the spread shows the town’s poorest to richest ED. A town that is a single ED shows one mark, no range.

Dundalk Below average-5.6
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Dundalk No. 2 Urban -14 (least affluent) → Haggardstown +4 (most affluent). It straddles the national average.
Wexford Below average-6.3
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Wexford No. 2 Urban -13 (least affluent) → Carrick +1 (most affluent). It straddles the national average.

How accurate is this, and at what level?

TOWN
Prices, amenities and commute are exact and town-specific.

Prices come from individual PPR sales inside the town’s Small-Area boundary; schools, GPs, transport, gyms and parks are counted the same way; commute is routed from the town centre.

ED
Affluence, profile and tenure are Electoral-Division level.

Published per Electoral Division and averaged across the town’s EDs, with a range where the town spans several.

AREA
Liveability and safety are wider-area, not the town.

Quality of life and rank are per Eircode routing key; safety and crime are the Garda division (Louth), coarser than a town, so two towns in the same county read the same.

Population growth isn’t shown: the 2016 and 2022 censuses don’t use the same Small Areas, and the areas that were re-cut are the ones that grew, so a like-for-like comparison understates growth badly. Rent and yield are still too sparse to show per town. Built from 241 CSO Small Areas.

Homes for sale in Wexford

The stronger town on the data.

Compare somewhere else

Put any two Irish towns head to head, or step up to the wider Eircode areas.