Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Its architectural heritage runs to 125 buildings on the national inventory. A town in Co. Wexford, home to 11,517 people.
The weak point is health — for every 100 its ages would predict, 145 residents are in bad health and 124 have a disability. Gorey’s overall grade is D, better than 6% of Irish towns. That places it #5 of 5 in Co. Wexford. It lags on jobs & income as well (C−) — 64% of people aged 15 to 64 are in work, and unemployment is 12%. Buying the median home, at €320,000, takes 6.4 times the town’s median household income.
Figures: health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
The 2 things Gorey does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Gorey 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 →
The record adds 21 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 4%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gorey.
At the census, 25% of people here had a disability, between Co. Wexford’s towns (27%) and Irish towns (22%). Gorey’s share in bad or very bad health, 2.3%, is the lowest of the 5 towns in Co. Wexford. 87% of people in Gorey rate their own health good or very good.
| Census 2022 | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 25% | 27% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 87% | 85% | 88% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Household income came to €49,884 a year before tax, higher than Co. Wexford’s towns (€43,275) yet lower than Irish towns (€57,760). Of those in the labour force, 12% are unemployed. The average trip to work takes 28.5 min.
| Census 2022 | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 12% | 16% | 9.2% |
| Average trip | 28.5 min | 24.1 min | 27.6 min |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 44% | 48% | 31% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 64% | 60% | 68% |
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.
100% of its homes sit in high-radon areas, above Co. Wexford’s towns (65%) and Irish towns (0%) alike. Gorey’s nearest bathing water is Courtown, North Beach, 5.7 km away, rated excellent in 2025. Its homes mostly stand clear of low ground by water.
| Share of homes | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 65% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0% |
| Low-lying near a river | 0% | 4.1% | 0.5% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Pupil numbers changed +10% since 2019/20, higher than both Co. Wexford’s towns (+2%) and Irish towns (+4%). Within 3 km of Gorey there are 8 schools (5 primary schools and 3 secondary schools). The nearest secondary, Gorey Community School, is 0.6 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunscoil LoretoLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 665 | Catholic |
| Gorey Community SchoolLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Community school | Post-primary · Community school | 1,546 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Mhoshiolog GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 152 | Multi-denominational |
| Gorey Educate Together Secondary School DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 323 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 60% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 13% | 52% | 35% |
| Teach through Irish | 13% | 3% | 8% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +10% | +2% | +4% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Ireland publishes no results school by school, so these cards carry no letters or results.
In 2010 the typical home in Gorey sold for €189K; by 2025 it was €355K, 88% more. No town in Co. Wexford costs more to buy into than Gorey, at €320,000, the highest of 5. Rent averaged €1,374 a month, lower than Irish towns (€1,606).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €365,000 | 298 |
| Second-hand homes | €290,000 | 862 |
| The last 12 months | €370,000 | 414 |
| Housing | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €320K | €243K | €350K |
| Rent on a new tenancy, a month | €1,374 | – | €1,606 |
| Households in social housing | 17% | 19% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Burglary and damage came to 5.8 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Co. Wexford’s towns (8) and Irish towns (6.4). Among the graded crimes in Gorey, the most frequent was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). All told, 60.5 crimes per 1,000 residents are recorded each 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 | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary & damage | 5.8 | 8 | 6.4 |
| Violent crime | 6.8 | 8.3 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
Expect July highs of around 19.8°C in Gorey. A year brings 1,086 mm of rain, above Co. Wexford’s towns (1,026 mm) and Irish towns (937 mm) alike. November is the wettest month here, with 129 mm of rain on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain a year | 1,086 mm | 1,026 mm | 937 mm |
| July high | 19.8°C | 20.0°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.3°C | 10.5°C | 10.3°C |
| January low | 3.0°C | 3.1°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected sites cover 0.5% of the land within 5 km, below both Co. Wexford’s towns (3.8%) and Irish towns (1.8%). Green space in Gorey adds up to 21 ha, across 2 parks. A park or green space is within 400 m for 88% of homes.
| Outdoors | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 3.9% | 7.1% | 2.7% |
| Protected nature within 5 km | 0.5% | 3.8% | 1.8% |
| Sea within 5 km | 3.4% | 11% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.7 km per km² | 0.7 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
In a typical November, days climb to about 11°C and nights sink to 5°C, the yardstick for Gorey’s forecast. Today stays dry but breezy, with wind up to 37 km/h and a low of 10°C. Of the days after that, Tuesday brings the most rain: about 14 mm.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 296 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 220 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 244 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 327 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
Retirement age and beyond: 12% of residents are 65 or older. The 15-to-24 age group: 13%, above Co. Wexford’s towns (12%) and Irish towns (12%) alike. Graduates make up just over a quarter of adults.
Women make up 51.7% of Gorey
5,950 women and 5,567 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 20% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 28% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 25% | 24% |
| 65+ | 12% | 15% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 11% | 14% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 18% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 41% | 40% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6% | 5.7% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 26% | 22% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Wexford and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
At the general election 61% voted, close to Co. Wexford’s towns (62%) and above Irish towns (59%). Gorey answers to one council, Wexford County Council; Ireland has no town tier. Turnout at the last local elections was 52%. With 11 of 34 seats, Independent are the largest group on Wexford County Council, short of the 18 a majority needs.
| Turnout | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local elections, June 2024 | 52% | 51% | 46% |
| General election, November 2024 | 61% | 62% | 59% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The Sites and Monuments Record lists 21 sites here, between Co. Wexford’s towns (43) and Irish towns (11). The pre-1919 share of homes is 3.6%. Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 125 buildings in Gorey, 1 of national or international importance.
| Heritage | Gorey | Co. Wexford | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 109 | 254 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 21 | 43 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 3.6% | 8.4% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Gorey. Best known first.
Surveyors for the national inventory recorded 125 buildings in Gorey, 1 of national or international importance. Archaeologists have recorded 21 sites here.
13 notable people were born in Gorey.
Michael W. D'Arcy: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 2.0 · Malcolm Byrne: Houses of the Oireachtas, CC BY 4.0
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Gorey had 11,517 people at the 2022 census, up from 9,936 in 2016: 15.9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Gorey is 36.4, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
8% mostly work from home, and 44% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Wexford
11,517 people live in Gorey, in the area of Wexford 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).