Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
33,512 residents make their home in this town in Co. Wicklow. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage lists 318 of its buildings.
Some subjects shine; others lag. Its best grade is for walkability (A−): on the way to work, 29% walk, cycle or take the bus or train, where the typical Irish town has 23%. Overall, Bray earns a B−: better than 51% of Irish towns, and #159 of 320 Irish towns. Buying in is costly: homes sell for a median €485,000, about 7.6 times what a household here earns in a year. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for safety, B for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: commuting, health and work, CSO Census 2022 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025.
The 3 things Bray does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Bray 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 →
39 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
9% 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 Bray. Best known first.
CastleManderley Castle4 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseKilruddery House300 m outside town, to the southeast
CastlePuck's Castle2.4 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleKindlestown Castle4.5 km outside town, to the southGardenGardenFestina Lente Gardens400 m outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bray.
Within 3 km of Bray there are 30 schools (17 primary schools, 9 secondary schools and 4 special schools). Irish-medium schools make up 13%, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (8%) and Irish towns (8%) alike. The nearest secondary, Loreto Secondary School, is 0.7 km away.
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil Padraig Naofa Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 680 | Catholic |
| Loreto Secondary School GirlsLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 747 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Raithín GaelcholáisteTeaches through IrishPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 326 | Multi-denominational |
| Woodbrook College DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 623 | Catholic |
| Schools within 3 km | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +1% | +12% | +4% |
| Teach through Irish | 13% | 8% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 33% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 27% | 10% | 35% |
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.
68% of households own their home, below Co. Wicklow’s towns (72%) but above Irish towns (61%). The typical sale price in Bray reached €525K in 2025, up 98% from €265K in 2010. The town is the second most expensive of the 9 towns in Co. Wicklow, at €485,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €625,000 | 205 |
| Second-hand homes | €455,000 | 914 |
| The last 12 months | €515,000 | 275 |
| Housing | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | €485K | €430K | €350K |
| Households owning their home | 68% | 72% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 17% | 14% | 22% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
An estimated 6.8% of homes in Bray have radon above the reference level. A flood relief scheme, the Bray (River Dargle) Flood Relief Scheme, protects parts of the town. Low-lying near a river: 6.6% of homes, above both Co. Wicklow’s towns (0%) and Irish towns (0.5%). For a swim, the nearest bathing water is Bray South Promenade, 1.5 km from Bray, rated good in 2025.
| Share of homes | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-lying near a river | 6.6% | 0% | 0.5% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
A year brings 890 mm of rain, below Co. Wicklow’s towns (992 mm) and close to Irish towns (937 mm). In July, daytime highs in Bray average 19.6°C. January nights in Bray drop to 3.3°C on average.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.6°C | 19.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Rain a year | 890 mm | 992 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 3.3°C | 3.4°C | 2.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.6°C | 10.3°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
A short walk to green space: nearly nine in ten homes, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (72%) and close to Irish towns (92%). Among the protected sites near Bray is Bray Head SAC. The town counts 10 parks, adding up to 98 ha of green space.
| Outdoors | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 13% | 5.3% | 2.7% |
| Sea within 5 km | 37% | 25% | 0% |
| Near a park | 89% | 72% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 2.1 km per km² | 1.1 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
Judged by the averages, Bray sees November days reach 11°C and nights fall to 5°C. Expect roughly 1 mm of rain today, wind picking up to 37 km/h, and a low of 9°C. Plan indoor things for Tuesday, when about 12 mm of rain is forecast.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 9°C | 3°C | 245 mm |
| Spring | 13°C | 6°C | 189 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 12°C | 185 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 8°C | 272 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
16% of residents are 65 or over, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (14%) alike. One measure of its mix: 21% of residents were born abroad. Degrees are held by 38% of adults.
51.8% of Bray’s residents are women
17,357 women and 16,155 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 24% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 26% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 24% |
| 65+ | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 10% | 9.8% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 33% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.2% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 38% | 32% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Wicklow and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
Independent lead Wicklow County Council with 10 of 32 seats, but no party has a majority: 17 are needed. Bray is split between local electoral areas: 53% of its residents are in Bray East, most of the rest in Bray West. At the general election 68% voted, near Co. Wicklow’s towns (68%) and higher than Irish towns (59%).
| Turnout | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 68% | 68% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 54% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
The Sites and Monuments Record lists 39 sites here, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (13) and Irish towns (11) alike. Per 10,000 residents, Bray counts 95 inventory buildings. The pre-1919 share of homes is 8.7%.
| Heritage | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 95 | 51 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 39 | 13 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 8.7% | 4.3% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
For its ages, Bray has 110 people with a disability for every 100 expected, about level with Co. Wicklow’s towns (112) and above Irish towns (106). A disability affects nearly a quarter of people locally. 88% of people in Bray rate their own health good or very good.
| Census 2022 | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| With a disability | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 88% | 90% | 88% |
| Unpaid carers | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.4% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more incidents per resident: they are counted where they happen, not where victims live.
Assaults and harassment topped the graded crimes in Bray (2023–2025). In all, 51.9 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded a year, about level with Irish towns (54.3) and above Co. Wicklow’s towns (32). Among the 118 Irish towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Bray has less crime per resident than 62% of them.
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 | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 18.9 | 7.5 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 6 | 4.6 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 51.9 | 32 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 4.9 | 3.5 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
On average, the journey to work lasts 31.8 min. 13% of workers worked mainly from home, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (11%) and Irish towns (11%) alike. Average household income comes to €64,121 a year before tax.
| Census 2022 | Bray | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trips under 15 minutes | 27% | 37% | 31% |
| Average trip | 31.8 min | 31.2 min | 27.6 min |
| Median household income | €64,121 | €65,194 | €57,760 |
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.
Bray’s built heritage counts 318 inventory entries, each of regional standing. 39 recorded monuments and archaeological sites lie here.
44 notable people were born in Bray.
Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh: European Communities, CC BY 4.0 · Finn Bálor: Dvtsource (original) Cropped by User:NiciVampireHeart, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Darren Randolph: Michael Kranewitter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Katie Taylor: cormac70 from London, CC BY 2.0 · Dara Ó Briain: Feline_Dacat, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Joshua Pim: Robinson (photographer), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bray | 33,512 | — | B− | C | C+ | B |
| Kilmacanogue | 1,240 | 3.5 | — | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Enniskerry | 2,000 | 3.9 | — | D | B+ | A |
| Shankill Dublin | 11,009 | 4.1 | C+ | D | B− | B |
| Killiney Dublin | 9,776 | 6.2 | C | D− | B− | B+ |
| Greystones-Delgany | 22,009 | 6.9 | A− | D− | A− | A |
| Ballybrack Dublin | 2,872 | 7.1 | B+ | C− | B | B+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
57% of working residents drive to work and 29% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%).
Bray had 33,512 people at the 2022 census, up from 32,559 in 2016: 2.9% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Bray is 40.7, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
Urban area in Co. Wicklow
Bray has 33,512 people, in the area of Wicklow 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).