Town comparison · Dundalk vs Wicklow

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Dundalk or Wicklow?

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 | Wicklow, Co. Wicklow · A67 · 12,150 people

Dundalk is the stronger town on the data. It leads on 4 of the 7 dimensions to Wicklow’s 2, with 1 level.

Dundalk leads on
education levelsschools & amenitiespublic transportaffordability
Wicklow leads on
safetyaccess to its nearest city
331010

Dundalk aheadlevel or not comparableWicklow ahead

AffluenceEducationAmenitiesTransportSafetyAffordabilityCity access
DundalkWicklow
iDundalk sits in A91, Wicklow in A67. 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
Wicklow

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
12,150

Prices & market

TOWN · exact
€300k
Median sale pricelower is better
€417k
Dundalk leads
€225k – €366k
Typical range (P25–P75)
€325k – €524k
1,231
Sales (24m)
1,902
+4.9%
Price momentum (YoY)
+11.8%
29.2%
New-build share
17.8%

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
4 prim · 4 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
Wicklow · 8 schools (largest first)
Coláiste Chill Mhantáin Secondary
933 pupils · 50% to 3rd-level · INTER DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Dominican College Secondary
473 pupils · 65% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School Secondary
375 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
East Glendalough School Secondary
366 pupils · 65% to 3rd-level · CHURCH OF IRELAND
Scoil An Choroin Mhuire Primary
425 pupils · Catholic
Wicklow Educate Together Ns Primary
382 pupils · Multi Denominational
Padraig Naofa N S Primary
369 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Glebe Ns Primary
207 pupils · Church Of Ireland
35
Creches
18
Dundalk leads
4
GP practices
1
Dundalk leads
19
Pharmacies
4
Dundalk leads
1
Hospitals
0
Dundalk leads
129
Bus stops
21
Dundalk leads
1
Rail / Luas stops
1
24
Gyms & leisure
12
Dundalk leads
15
Parks & playgrounds
7
Dundalk leads
108
Sports pitches
26
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
5
Dundalk leads
20
Cafés
7
Dundalk leads
43
Pubs & bars
8
Dundalk leads
24
Takeaways
5
Dundalk leads
1
Nightclubs
0
Dundalk leads
4
Cinema & theatre
0
Dundalk leads
200
Residents per venuelower is better
486
Dundalk leads
#9 of 65 large towns
Most vibrant (national)lower is better
#55 of 65 large towns
Dundalk 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
4
Dundalk leads
39
Convenience shops
5
Dundalk leads
16
Bakery, butcher & greengrocer
2
Dundalk leads
4
Banks
4
4
Post offices
1
Dundalk leads
18
Hairdressers
4
Dundalk leads
2
Dentists
2
4
Vets
1
Dundalk leads
16
Filling stations
2
Dundalk leads
10
EV charging
7
Dundalk leads
5
Library & community centre
0
Dundalk leads
195
Residents per shop or servicelower is better
380
Dundalk 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.

65m · ~100 rush
Dublinlower is better
50m · ~85 rush
Wicklow leads
171m · ~185 rush
Waterfordlower is better
98m · ~110 rush
Wicklow leads
193m · ~210 rush
Limericklower is better
167m · ~185 rush
Wicklow leads
189m · ~215 rush
Galwaylower is better
178m · ~200 rush
Wicklow leads
232m · ~255 rush
Corklower is better
194m · ~215 rush
Wicklow leads

Affluence & profile

ELECTORAL DIVISION
-5.6
Affluence (Pobal HP)
-4.6
Wicklow 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
Wicklow · 4 EDs, poorest → richest
-8Wicklow UrbanDisadvantaged
-5Wicklow UrbanBelow average
-2Wicklow RuralBelow average
+1Wicklow RuralAbove average
38.3%
Third-level educated
36.7%
Dundalk leads
32.6%
Professional class
38.6%
Wicklow leads
13.1%
Unemploymentlower is better
14.5%
Dundalk leads
62.9%
Owner-occupier
68.0%
Wicklow leads
21.7%
Private rental
14.7%
10.6%
Social housing (LA)
14.3%

Liveability & safety

AREA · A91 / A67

Wider-area figures, not the town. Quality of life & rank are for the whole Eircode area each town sits in (Dundalk → A91, Wicklow → A67); safety & crime are the Louth Garda division.

67/100
Quality of Life
61/100
Dundalk leads

Quality of Life is the equal-weighted average of these seven 0–100 dimensions, scored for the whole Eircode routing area (A91 / A67) 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.

DundalkWicklowOverall (avg)
Safety67546170
Affordability9468
Infrastructure9346
Family7377
Education3835
Environment8282
Economic3247
020406080100020406080100
#31
National ranklower is better
#77
Dundalk leads
#1
County ranklower is better
#4
Dundalk leads
54/100
Safety
70/100
Wicklow leads
68
Crime / 1,000lower is better
43.8
Wicklow 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.
Wicklow Below average-4.6
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Wicklow Urban -8 (least affluent) → Wicklow Rural +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 188 CSO Small Areas.

Homes for sale in Dundalk

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.