Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are only 10% of the population. In Co. Dublin, this town has 40,776 residents.
Good on most counts; one lags. Its standout strength is jobs & income — nearly three quarters of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 7%. Housing is expensive: a typical home sold for €416,000, or 5.4 years of the town’s median household income. Overall, that makes an A−, better than 84% of Irish towns. It ranks #17 of 116 in Co. Dublin.
Figures: work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
This town's Hazard risk Grade uses radon and landslides only: open LiDAR heights don't cover enough of its homes to measure flooding, so flood isn't counted for or against it.
The 3 things Swords does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Swords with Irish towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Irish towns →
43 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
0% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Swords. Best known first.
CastleSwords Castlein town
CastleMalahide Castle2.2 km outside town, to the east
CastleDunsoghly Castle4.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumCasino Model Railway Museum2.5 km outside town, to the eastAbbey or prioryAbbey or priorySwords Round Tower & Belfryin townHistoric houseHistoric houseNewbridge House & Farm3.2 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Swords.
The closest place to swim from Swords is Portmarnock, Velvet Strand Beach, 7.8 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Under 1% of homes here are estimated to have radon above the reference level. No part of Swords is mapped as high landslide susceptibility.
| Share of homes | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0% | 0% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
The average trip to work took 31.1 min, near Co. Dublin’s towns (31.1 min) and higher than Irish towns (27.6 min). At the census, 74% of people aged 15 to 64 had a job. Walking, cycling and public transport carried just over a quarter of commuters at the census.
| Census 2022 | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | €77,142 | €72,400 | €57,760 |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 74% | 71% | 68% |
| Unemployment rate | 7% | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 31.1 min | 31.1 min | 27.6 min |
CSO, Census 2022 travel to work, work and education · CSO Geographical Profiles of Income 2022 · Live Register · Census day was 3 April 2022, with working from home still common; shares are of those who travelled.
Allowing for its ages, Swords has 97 residents in bad health per 100 expected, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (103) and Irish towns (113). Asked at the census, just over nine in ten residents of Swords said they were in good or very good health. Ages taken into account, Swords counts 98 people with a disability for every 100 predicted.
| Census 2022 | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 19% | 22% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 91% | 89% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Coláiste Choilm is the nearest secondary school, 0.8 km away. 24 schools lie within 3 km of Swords: 18 primary schools and 6 secondary schools. A third of the secondaries are single-sex, below Co. Dublin’s towns (40%) and Irish towns (39%) alike.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Paul II N.S.Largest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 663 | Catholic |
| Swords Community CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 952 | Multi-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Bhrian Bóroimhe GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 441 | Inter-denominational |
| St Finians Community College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 671 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the DEIS scheme | 13% | 40% | 35% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 33% | 40% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +6% | +4% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · There are no letters or results on these cards, because Ireland publishes none school by school.
8% live in social housing, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (10%) and Irish towns (13%). In 2010 the typical home in Swords sold for €260K; by 2025 it was €430K, 65% more.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €475,000 | 322 |
| Second-hand homes | €390,000 | 1,203 |
| The last 12 months | €495,000 | 617 |
| Housing | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households owning their home | 71% | 66% | 61% |
| Households in social housing | 8% | 10% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €416K | €454K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,946 | €2,066 | €1,606 |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Expect July highs of around 19.7°C in Swords. Across the year it averages 10.2°C, close to both Co. Dublin’s towns (10.3°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). The nearest weather station is Dublin Airport, 3.5 km away.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.9°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 778 mm | 770 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.2°C | 10.3°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 2.8°C | 2.9°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Walkers have 2.6 km per km² of paths and tracks, lower than Co. Dublin’s towns (5.5 km per km²) yet higher than Irish towns (2.1 km per km²). Swords counts 13 parks, adding up to 167 ha of green space. Protected nature near Swords includes Malahide Estuary SAC.
| Outdoors | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paths per km² of town | 2.6 km per km² | 5.5 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
| Sea within 5 km | 4.8% | 3.7% | 0% |
| Near a park | 96% | 100% | 92% |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Around 1 mm of rain is due today, on a breeze of up to 34 km/h, with a low of 11°C. Tuesday looks like the wettest of the days that follow, with about 6 mm of rain. For Swords, a normal November afternoon peaks at 11°C, and a normal night bottoms out at 5°C.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 189 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 5°C | 165 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 196 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 227 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Degrees are held by 36% of adults. Children under 15 make up 21%, above Co. Dublin’s towns (17%) and Irish towns (20%) alike.
50.6% of Swords’ residents are women
20,616 women and 20,160 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 17% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 30% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 9.7% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 6.4% | 8.5% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 12% | 11% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 39% | 30% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.5% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 36% | 44% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Dublin and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election 61% voted, higher than both Co. Dublin’s towns (57%) and Irish towns (59%). No party holds a majority on Fingal County Council: Independent lead with 7 of 40 seats, short of the 21 needed. Swords answers to one council, Fingal County Council; Ireland has no town tier.
| Turnout | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 39% | 42% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 57% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
For its size, Swords has 9 inventory buildings per 10,000 residents, below Co. Dublin’s towns (10) and Irish towns (48) alike. The pre-1919 share of homes is 0.4%. Swords has 36 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 1 of them rated of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 9 | 10 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 43 | 6 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 0.4% | 1.2% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more incidents per resident: they are counted where they happen, not where victims live.
Burglary and damage came to 4.8 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Co. Dublin’s towns (7.5) and Irish towns (6.4). In 2023–2025, damage to property led the graded crimes in Swords. For its size, Swords records less crime per resident than 69% of the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
Not in the gradeTheft, public order and offences found by Garda checks (drugs, road traffic, dangerous acts) are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence, burglary and damage.
| Per 1,000 a year | Swords | Co. Dublin | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 4.8 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| All recorded crime | 48.6 | 59.2 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Swords has 36 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 1 of them rated of national or international importance. 43 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
4 notable people were born in Swords.
Francis Taylor: psyberartist, CC BY 2.0 · Richard Molesworth, 3rd Viscount Molesworth: Unidentified painter, Public domain
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
The median age in Swords is 36.9, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Swords had 40,776 people at the 2022 census, up from 38,192 in 2016: 6.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
11% mostly work from home, and 27% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Dublin
40,776 people live in Swords, in the area of Fingal County Council. TownRatings uses the CSO’s 2022 Urban Areas as Ireland’s towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a county or a council area, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from Tailte Éireann’s boundaries and the CSO’s Census 2022 (CC BY 4.0)
Sources: CSO, Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (CC BY 4.0) · Tailte Éireann, Urban Areas and Electoral Divisions 2022 (CC BY 4.0) · TownRatings grades, run #544 (Irish towns only). Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).