Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Its heritage includes 11 buildings on the national inventory. Population 3,539: a town in Co. Wicklow.
A town of contrasts. Overall, Newtownmountkennedy earns a C+: better than 40% of Irish towns, and #192 of 320 Irish towns. Where it falls short is cost of living (D): home prices sit at a median €470,000, which is 7.1 years of the town’s median household income. Its best grade is for hazard risk (A+): almost no homes are above the radon reference level. Crime is low: 3.1 violent crimes and 4.9 burglaries and acts of criminal damage recorded per 1,000 residents a year.
Figures: radon, EPA · crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level. 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 Newtownmountkennedy does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Newtownmountkennedy 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 5 archaeological sites.
Homes built before 1919: 3%, against 3% across Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Newtownmountkennedy.
For a swim, the nearest bathing water is Greystones South, 7.2 km from Newtownmountkennedy, rated excellent in 2025. 0.5% of homes stand on ground with high landslide susceptibility, near both Co. Wicklow’s towns (0.3%) and Irish towns (0%). By estimate, fewer than one home in a hundred in the town has radon above the reference level.
| Share of homes | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| On high landslide susceptibility | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0% |
| In high-radon areas | 0% | 6.5% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Social housing holds 17% of households, higher than both Co. Wicklow’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (13%). Renting privately is how 6% of households live.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €477,500 | 280 |
| Second-hand homes | €440,000 | 104 |
| The last 12 months | €529,900 | 121 |
| Housing | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households renting privately | 6% | 16% | 22% |
| Households owning their home | 76% | 70% | 61% |
| Median sale price | €470K | €430K | €350K |
| Households in social housing | 17% | 13% | 13% |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
For its ages, Newtownmountkennedy has 128 people in bad health for every 100 expected, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (111) and Irish towns (113) alike. 5.1% of residents in Newtownmountkennedy care, unpaid, for a relative or friend. Self-reported good health: 90% of the town’s residents.
| Census 2022 | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 5.1% | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| Good or very good health | 90% | 90% | 88% |
| With a disability | 23% | 24% | 22% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
Among the graded crimes in Newtownmountkennedy, the most frequent was burglary (2023–2025). Every kind together came to 44.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above Co. Wicklow’s towns (32) but below Irish towns (54.3).
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 | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 3.1 | 3.9 | 5.7 |
| Theft | 6.3 | 9.3 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 4.9 | 4.6 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 44.1 | 32 | 54.3 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
At the census, 14% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both Co. Wicklow’s towns (16%) and Irish towns (23%). A trip to work takes 30.7 min on average. Employment among 15- to 64-year-olds stood at 71% at the census.
| Census 2022 | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In work, 15 to 64 | 71% | 68% | 68% |
| Average trip | 30.7 min | 31.7 min | 27.6 min |
| Unemployment rate | 8% | 9.1% | 9.2% |
| Median household income | €66,000 | €64,254 | €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.
In January, overnight lows in Newtownmountkennedy settle at 2.7°C. The year’s mean temperature is 10.0°C, below both Co. Wicklow’s towns (10.6°C) and Irish towns (10.3°C). This Co. Wicklow town gets 1,120 mm of rain a year.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 19.3°C | 19.7°C | 19.9°C |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.0°C | 10.6°C | 10.3°C |
| Rain a year | 1,120 mm | 965 mm | 937 mm |
| January low | 2.7°C | 3.4°C | 2.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
Protected sites cover 4.9% of the land within 5 km, higher than both Co. Wicklow’s towns (3.7%) and Irish towns (1.8%). For three in five homes, green space is under 400 m away. Newtownmountkennedy offers 1.5 ha of green space per 1,000 residents.
| Outdoors | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 12% | 5.3% | 2.7% |
| Near a park | 60% | 80% | 92% |
| Sea within 5 km | 6.2% | 34% | 0% |
| Paths per km² of town | 0.6 km per km² | 1.3 km per km² | 2.1 km per km² |
OpenStreetMap parks and paths, NPWS protected sites and the National Trails Register.
In November a normal day reaches 11°C and a normal night 5°C; the forecast for Newtownmountkennedy below sets each day against them. No rain is due today, though a breeze picks up to 33 km/h; the low is 9°C. Tuesday looks like the wettest of the days that follow, with about 4 mm of rain.
| Season | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 8°C | 3°C | 314 mm |
| Spring | 12°C | 5°C | 238 mm |
| Summer | 19°C | 11°C | 225 mm |
| Autumn | 14°C | 7°C | 344 mm |
Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · normals: Met Éireann, 1991–2020
The share aged 15 to 24 is 11%. One in ten residents are 65 or over, lower than both Co. Wicklow’s towns (14%) and Irish towns (14%). Foreign-born residents make up 17% of the population.
Women make up 50.4% of Newtownmountkennedy
1,784 women and 1,755 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 26% | 22% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 31% | 26% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 27% | 24% |
| 65+ | 10% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 11% | 9.2% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 35% | 37% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.5% | 6.5% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 32% | 34% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Wicklow and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
68% voted at the general election. Newtownmountkennedy is split between local electoral areas: 83% of its residents are in Wicklow, most of the rest in Greystones. At the last local elections, 53% of voters went to the polls. Wicklow County Council has no ruling majority: Independent hold 10 of its 32 seats, short of the 17 needed.
| Turnout | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| General election, November 2024 | 68% | 68% | 59% |
| Local elections, June 2024 | 53% | 54% | 46% |
Department of Housing count sheets, 2024
Per 10,000 residents, Newtownmountkennedy counts 31 inventory buildings, lower than both Co. Wicklow’s towns (57) and Irish towns (48). Beneath and around the town lie 5 recorded archaeological sites. Also worth knowing: 3% of homes date from before 1919.
| Heritage | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 31 | 57 | 48 |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 5 | 17 | 11 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 3% | 5.6% | 3.4% |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Within 3 km of Newtownmountkennedy there are 5 schools (3 primary schools, 1 secondary school and 1 special school). For secondary school, the closest is Colaiste Chraobh Abhann, 3.6 km from the town. DEIS, the support scheme, covers 20% of them, between Co. Wicklow’s towns (13%) and Irish towns (35%).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newtownmountkennedy Primary School DEISLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 368 | Catholic |
| Colaiste Chraobh AbhannLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 778 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Newtownmountkennedy | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach through Irish | 0% | 9% | 8% |
| Single-sex secondaries | 0% | 13% | 39% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +12% | +10% | +4% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 20% | 13% | 35% |
Department of Education school lists, 2025/26 (preliminary) · no results are published by school · Letters and results are missing here for a reason: Ireland publishes neither school by school.
Castles, abbeys, gardens, museums and days out in and near Newtownmountkennedy. Best known first.
MuseumAltidore Castle2.2 km outside town, to the northwestGardenGardenWren’s Wood Garden2.3 km outside town, to the southVisitor farmVisitor farmK2alpacas3.4 km outside town, to the southwestVisitor farmVisitor farmGlenroe Open Farm4.4 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The national inventory of architectural heritage lists 11 buildings in Newtownmountkennedy, each rated of regional importance. 5 archaeological sites are on the record here.
4 notable people were born in Newtownmountkennedy.
Sonny Condell: Vegetable man38, CC BY 3.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newtownmountkennedy | 3,539 | — | C+ | D | B+ | C− |
| Kilpedder | 1,248 | 2.8 | — | C− | B+ | A |
| Newcastle | 1,010 | 3.6 | — | C− | B+ | B |
| Kilcoole | 4,569 | 4.1 | B+ | D | A− | C+ |
| Greystones-Delgany | 22,009 | 6.1 | A− | D− | A− | A |
| Ashford | 1,892 | 8.7 | — | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Kilmacanogue | 1,240 | 9.3 | — | C− | C+ | B+ |
People: CSO, Census 2022. Distances: centre to centre.
Newtownmountkennedy had 3,539 people at the 2022 census, up from 3,033 in 2016: 16.7% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
The median age in Newtownmountkennedy is 35.5, against 37.6 in the median of Irish towns.
11% mostly work from home, and 31% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Wicklow
3,539 people live in Newtownmountkennedy, 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).