Town comparison · Kilkenny vs Wexford

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Kilkenny 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.

Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny · R95 · 26,831 people | Wexford, Co. Wexford · Y35 · 22,366 people

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

Kilkenny leads on
affluenceeducation levelsaccess to its nearest city
Wexford leads on
affordability
271511

Kilkenny aheadlevel or not comparableWexford ahead

AffluenceEducationAmenitiesTransportSafetyAffordabilityCity access
KilkennyWexford
iKilkenny sits in R95, 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.

Kilkenny
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.

26,831
Population
22,366

Prices & market

TOWN · exact
€312k
Median sale pricelower is better
€275k
Wexford leads
€235k – €415k
Typical range (P25–P75)
€200k – €350k
1,246
Sales (24m)
2,083
+4.6%
Price momentum (YoY)
+37.8%
14.5%
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.

10 prim · 7 sec
Schools
8 prim · 5 sec
Kilkenny leads
Kilkenny · 17 schools (largest first)
Loreto Secondary School Secondary
994 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Kilkenny College Secondary
919 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CHURCH OF IRELAND
Presentation Secondary School Secondary
902 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
Meánscoil Na Mbráithre Criostaí Secondary
836 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
St Kieran's College Secondary
802 pupils · 75% to 3rd-level · CATHOLIC
City Vocational School Secondary
311 pupils · 40% to 3rd-level · MULTI DENOMINATIONALDEIS
Coláiste Pobail Osraí Secondary
222 pupils · 60% to 3rd-level · INTER DENOMINATIONAL
St Canices Central N S Primary
645 pupils · Catholic
Gaelscoil Osrai Primary
442 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Mhuire Primary
420 pupils · Catholic
S N Padraig Naofa Primary
341 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Naomh Eoin Dea Primary
331 pupils · Catholic
Scoil Iognaid De Ris Primary
255 pupils · Catholic
Kilkenny School Project Primary
240 pupils · Multi Denominational
St Johns Infants N S Primary
223 pupils · CatholicDEIS
St Johns Senior Ns Primary
216 pupils · CatholicDEIS
Kilkenny Mixed N S Primary
208 pupils · Church Of Ireland
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
29
Creches
22
Kilkenny leads
17
GP practices
12
Kilkenny leads
19
Pharmacies
19
5
Hospitals
3
Kilkenny leads
88
Bus stops
94
Wexford leads
1
Rail / Luas stops
1
35
Gyms & leisure
25
Kilkenny leads
48
Parks & playgrounds
15
Kilkenny leads
150
Sports pitches
71
Kilkenny 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.

38
Restaurants
42
Wexford leads
51
Cafés
35
Kilkenny leads
54
Pubs & bars
42
Kilkenny leads
34
Takeaways
28
Kilkenny leads
0
Nightclubs
0
3
Cinema & theatre
5
Wexford leads
149
Residents per venuelower is better
147
Wexford leads
#6 of 65 large towns
Most vibrant (national)lower is better
#7 of 65 large towns
Kilkenny 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.

10
Supermarkets
10
24
Convenience shops
19
Kilkenny leads
9
Bakery, butcher & greengrocer
9
5
Banks
5
4
Post offices
1
Kilkenny leads
42
Hairdressers
43
Wexford leads
14
Dentists
15
Wexford leads
4
Vets
3
Kilkenny leads
12
Filling stations
12
36
EV charging
28
Kilkenny leads
29
Library & community centre
11
Kilkenny leads
142
Residents per shop or servicelower is better
143
Kilkenny 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.

40m · ~55 rush
Waterfordlower is better
50m · ~65 rush
Kilkenny leads
93m · ~130 rush
Dublinlower is better
107m · ~140 rush
Kilkenny leads
106m · ~125 rush
Limericklower is better
160m · ~180 rush
Kilkenny leads
117m · ~140 rush
Corklower is better
147m · ~170 rush
Kilkenny leads
155m · ~180 rush
Galwaylower is better
222m · ~245 rush
Kilkenny leads

Affluence & profile

ELECTORAL DIVISION
-2.7
Affluence (Pobal HP)
-6.3
Kilkenny leads
Kilkenny · 6 EDs, poorest → richest
-8Kilkenny No. 1 UrbanBelow average
-5Kilkenny No. 1 UrbanBelow average
-3Kilkenny No. 2 UrbanBelow average
-3Kilkenny No. 2 UrbanBelow average
-2Kilkenny RuralBelow average
-1Kilkenny RuralBelow 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
40.6%
Third-level educated
32.6%
Kilkenny leads
37.2%
Professional class
31.8%
Kilkenny leads
12.3%
Unemploymentlower is better
11.3%
Wexford leads
58.1%
Owner-occupier
60.3%
Wexford leads
25.3%
Private rental
22.1%
13.9%
Social housing (LA)
13.3%

Liveability & safety

AREA · R95 / Y35

Wider-area figures, not the town. Quality of life & rank are for the whole Eircode area each town sits in (Kilkenny → R95, Wexford → Y35); safety & crime are the Kilkenny/Carlow Garda division.

66/100
Quality of Life
64/100
Kilkenny leads

Quality of Life is the equal-weighted average of these seven 0–100 dimensions, scored for the whole Eircode routing area (R95 / 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.

KilkennyWexfordOverall (avg)
Safety66626464
Affordability8994
Infrastructure6568
Family7870
Education4338
Environment7782
Economic4933
020406080100020406080100
#35
National ranklower is better
#58
Kilkenny leads
#1
County rank
#1
62/100
Safety
64/100
Wexford leads
57.6
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.

Kilkenny Below average-2.7
← more deprivednational avg · 0more affluent →
Spread across the town: Kilkenny No. 1 Urban -8 (least affluent) → Kilkenny Rural -1 (most affluent). Every neighbourhood is below 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 (Kilkenny/Carlow), 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 189 CSO Small Areas.

Homes for sale in Kilkenny

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.