Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Its architectural heritage runs to 172 buildings on the national inventory. In Co. Waterford, this town has 10,081 residents.
Crime is the sore point (C): burglary and criminal damage run at 6.7 per 1,000 residents a year, violent crime at 8.1. The median home sold for €291,000, 6.2 times the town’s median household income. Hazard risk is low. Radon is barely a concern: almost no homes exceed the reference level. All told, that adds up to a C+ overall and a rank of #4 of 12 in Co. Waterford. Set against the rest, it does better than 37% of Irish towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for health, B− for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: radon, EPA · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · health, work and commuting, CSO Census 2022.
The 2 things Dungarvan does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Dungarvan 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 →
45 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dungarvan.
Of the graded crimes in Dungarvan, assaults and harassment came up most often (2023–2025). Among the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Dungarvan has more crime per resident than 64% of them. Recorded crime of every kind runs at 68.4 per 1,000 residents a year.
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 | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 8.1 | 10.6 | 5.7 |
| Burglary & damage | 6.7 | 9.7 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 68.4 | 85 | 54.3 |
| Theft | 15 | 22 | 15.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
The closest place to swim from Dungarvan is Clonea Beach, 5.6 km away, rated excellent in 2025. By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred in the town has radon above the reference level. On high landslide susceptibility: under 0.1% of homes, near both Co. Waterford’s towns (0.2%) and Irish towns (0%).
| Share of homes | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 44% | 0% | 0.5% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 70% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
12 schools lie within 3 km of Dungarvan: 7 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 special school. The nearest secondary, Scoil na mBraithre, is 0.5 km away. Since 2019/20, pupils changed +8%, above Co. Waterford’s towns (+4%) and Irish towns (+4%) alike.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| S N Dun na Mainistreach Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 455 | Catholic |
| St Augustines CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 1,069 | Catholic |
| Scoil Gearbhain GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 310 | Catholic |
| Dungarvan College-Coláiste Dhún Garbhán DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 247 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 25% | 56% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 25% | 41% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +8% | +4% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 8% | 6% | 8% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · No letters, no results: Irish schools aren’t ranked one by one.
Winter lows in Dungarvan average 3.5°C in January. Across the year it averages 10.8°C, about level with Co. Waterford’s towns (10.8°C) and above Irish towns (10.3°C). Expect July highs of around 20.0°C locally.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,123 mm | 1,021 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 3.5°C | 3.3°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.8°C | 10.8°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 20.0°C | 20.2°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Within 5 km, 1.8% of the land is protected nature, lower than Co. Waterford’s towns (5.8%) and near Irish towns (1.8%). Dungarvan counts 3 parks, adding up to 19 ha of green space. Green space lies within 400 m of 75% of homes. Among the protected sites near Dungarvan is Dungarvan Harbour SPA.
| Outdoors | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea within 5 km | 19% | 0% | 0% |
| Near a park | 75% | 81% | 92% |
| Woodland within 1 km | 0.7% | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.7 km per km² | 1.2 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Dungarvan’s averages for November set the scene: the usual high is 12°C, the usual low 5°C. Any rain today should be slight, though the wind picks up to 34 km/h; the low is 7°C. Rain peaks later in the week on Wednesday, at about 18 mm for the day.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 10°C | 4°C | 327 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 235 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 235 mm |
| Autumn | 15°C | 8°C | 326 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Those aged 15 to 24 account for 11% of residents. People 65 and over make up 18% of the town, above Co. Waterford’s towns (16%) and Irish towns (14%) alike. Graduates make up 30% of adults.
51.3% of Dungarvan’s residents are women
5,172 women and 4,909 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 20% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 29% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 24% | 24% |
| 65+ | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 13% | 11% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 15% | 19% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 36% | 36% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 5.7% | 6.1% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 30% | 28% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Waterford and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
General election turnout was 56%. With 8 of 32 seats, Independent are the largest group on Waterford City and County Council, short of the 17 a majority needs. Waterford City and County Council runs Dungarvan: Ireland has one tier of local government, with no town council below it.
| Turnout | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 48% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 56% | 56% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
There are 45 entries on the national archaeological record here. 5.8% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Co. Waterford’s towns (1.8%) and Irish towns (3.4%).
| Heritage | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 171 | 32 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 45 | 10 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 5.8% | 1.8% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
A disability affects a quarter of people in Dungarvan. At the census, 86% of people in Dungarvan called their health good or very good, about level with Co. Waterford’s towns (87%) and below Irish towns (88%). Weighed against its ages, disability locally runs at 112 per 100 expected.
| Census 2022 | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Walking, cycling and public transport carried 22% of commuters at the census. The average trip to work took 21 min, close to Co. Waterford’s towns (20.2 min) and below Irish towns (27.6 min). Of those in the labour force, 11% are unemployed.
| Census 2022 | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 60% | 47% | 31% |
| Average trip | 21 min | 20.2 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €47,031 | €49,810 | €57,760 |
| Unemployment rate | 11% | 12% | 9.2% |
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.
Social housing holds 20% of households, above both Co. Waterford’s towns (18%) and Irish towns (13%). Dungarvan is the cheapest of the 12 towns in Co. Waterford: its median sale is €291,000. Prices locally are up 33% since 2010: the typical sale went from €225K that year to €300K in 2025.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €391,000 | 43 |
| Second-hand homes | €280,000 | 437 |
| The last 12 months | €319,200 | 142 |
| Housing | Dungarvan | Co. Waterford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,219 | – | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 20% | 18% | 13% |
| Median sale price | €291K | €294K | €350K |
| Households renting privately | 20% | 16% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
2 places to visit are mapped within 5 km of Dungarvan; with them, the best known within 40 km.
MuseumWaterford County Museumin town
Castle · Office of Public WorksCahir Castle38 km northwest
CastleLismore Castle22 km west
Castle · Office of Public WorksOrmond Castle32 km northeast
Abbey or prioryMount Melleray Abbey19 km northwest
CathedralArdmore Round Tower and Cathedral17 km southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Dungarvan has 172 buildings on the national inventory of architectural heritage, 3 of them rated of national or international importance. The national record lists 45 archaeological sites in and around the town.
35 notable people were born in Dungarvan.
Ernest Walton: Nobel foundation, Public domain · Moe Dunford: German Comic Con, CC BY 3.0 · James Vincent Cleary: William Cochrane (1831-1898) and John Castell Hopkins (1864-1923), Public domain · John Deasy: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 2.0 · Elizabeth Mernin: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dungarvan | 10,081 | — | C+ | B− | C | C+ |
| Ballinroad | 1,389 | 3.4 | — | B− | C | B |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
The median age in Dungarvan is 40.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns. 19% of residents are under 15 and 18% are 65 or over.
Dungarvan had 10,081 people at the 2022 census, up from 9,266 in 2016: 8.8% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Waterford
10,081 people live in Dungarvan, in the area of Waterford City and 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).