Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The population grew 26% between 2016 and 2022. It is a town of 3,482 residents in Co. Wicklow.
A town with more to fix than most. Its weakest subject is jobs & income — the unemployment rate is 14%, with 61% of 15 to 64s in work. It is hard to get around without a car (D): 11% of commuters walk, cycle or take the bus or train, against 23% in the typical Irish town. Hazard risk is weaker too — an estimated 28% of its homes exceed the radon reference level. The median home sold for €420,000, 8.3 times the town’s median household income. Safety is its strong suit — per 1,000 residents a year, gardaí record 3.9 violent crimes and 4.6 burglaries and acts of criminal damage. Overall, that makes a D, good for #9 of 9 in Co. Wicklow. That leaves it better than 6% of Irish towns.
Figures: crime, CSO recorded crime, 2023 to 2025 · work and commuting, CSO Census 2022 · radon, EPA · prices, Property Price Register, 2023 to 2025 · incomes, CSO.
Rents for this town aren't published on their own, so its Cost Grade uses the county's average rent. Health less sure: few enough residents report bad health that the town's figure could be well above or below its true level.
The 3 things Rathnew does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Rathnew 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 →
8 archaeological sites are on the record here too.
1% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3% in the median of Irish towns.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rathnew.
On high landslide susceptibility: 1.8% of homes, above both Co. Wicklow’s towns (0.3%) and Irish towns (0%). Silver Strand, 6 km from Rathnew, is the closest bathing water; it was rated sufficient in 2025. Next to none of its homes lie low beside a river or the sea.
| Share of homes | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| In high-radon areas | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| On high landslide susceptibility | 1.8% | 0.3% | 0% |
EPA radon map, GSI landslide susceptibility and our low-lying homes estimate from OPW LiDAR.
Short trips: 45% under 15 minutes, above both Co. Wicklow’s towns (35%) and Irish towns (31%). Workers spend 27 min getting to work, on average. The census counted 6.8% of workers working mainly from home.
| Census 2022 | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 14% | 8.5% | 9.2% |
| In work, 15 to 64 | 61% | 69% | 68% |
| Trips under 15 minutes | 45% | 35% | 31% |
| Median household income | €50,301 | €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.
1.5% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below both Co. Wicklow’s towns (1.9%) and Irish towns (2%). A disability affects 24% of people in Rathnew. Family carers: 4.9% of the people in Rathnew look after someone without pay.
| Census 2022 | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unpaid carers | 4.9% | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
| With a disability | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Good or very good health | 89% | 90% | 88% |
CSO, Census 2022 general health, disability and carers · CSO life expectancy by region, 2016 · HSE medical cards, 2024 · TownRatings age-standardised ratios
11% rent privately, below Co. Wicklow’s towns (16%) and Irish towns (22%) alike. The owner-occupied share of households is 53%.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | €430,000 | 437 |
| Second-hand homes | €364,500 | 130 |
| The last 12 months | €404,800 | 89 |
| Housing | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households in social housing | 35% | 13% | 13% |
| Households owning their home | 53% | 72% | 61% |
| Households renting privately | 11% | 16% | 22% |
| Median sale price | €420K | €440K | €350K |
Property Price Register · CSO residential prices by Eircode area · RTB rents · CSO, Census 2022 tenure
Among the 201 Irish towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Rathnew has less crime per resident than nearly three quarters of them. The commonest graded crime in the town was assaults and harassment (2023–2025). Every kind together came to 33.6 per 1,000 residents a year, close to Co. Wicklow’s towns (32) and 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 | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theft | 6.8 | 9.3 | 15.3 |
| Burglary & damage | 4.6 | 4.7 | 6.4 |
| All recorded crime | 33.6 | 32 | 54.3 |
| Violent crime | 3.9 | 3.5 | 5.7 |
CSO recorded crime by Garda station, 2023–2025, shared to towns by where residents live · Census 2022 populations
January nights bottom out at 3.3°C in Rathnew, near Co. Wicklow’s towns (3.4°C) and higher than Irish towns (2.9°C). This Co. Wicklow town gets 1,007 mm of rain a year. It is 0.2°C warmer over the year than in 1981–2010.
| Climate, 1991–2020 | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 3.3°C | 3.4°C | 2.9°C |
| Rain a year | 1,007 mm | 965 mm | 937 mm |
| Average temperature over the year | 10.5°C | 10.6°C | 10.3°C |
| July high | 19.7°C | 19.7°C | 19.9°C |
Met Éireann, 1991–2020 averages.
93% of homes are within 400 m of green space, about level with Irish towns (92%) and above Co. Wicklow’s towns (72%). Among the protected sites near Rathnew is The Murrough Wetlands SAC.
| Outdoors | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland within 1 km | 1.3% | 7.8% | 2.7% |
| Sea within 5 km | 17% | 34% | 0% |
| Near a park | 93% | 72% | 92% |
| Paths per km² of town | 1.2 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.
The 65-and-over age group makes up 7.3% of residents. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 13% of residents, near Co. Wicklow’s towns (12%) and higher than Irish towns (12%). Among adults, 20% have a degree.
50.2% of Rathnew’s residents are women
1,747 women and 1,735 men live here; across Ireland, women are 50.6%.
| Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 28% | 22% | 20% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 31% | 26% | 29% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 27% | 24% |
| 65+ | 7.3% | 14% | 14% |
| Primary or none | 14% | 9.2% | 9.7% |
| Lower secondary | 19% | 14% | 14% |
| Leaving Cert | 41% | 36% | 35% |
| Diploma or cert | 6.4% | 6.6% | 5.8% |
| Degree or higher | 20% | 34% | 36% |
CSO, Census 2022 · Co. Wicklow and Ireland: the median of their towns of 2,500+
53% voted at the last local elections. There is just one council for Rathnew, Wicklow County Council: Ireland has only one tier of local government. Also worth knowing: with 10 of 32 seats, Independent are the largest group on Wicklow County Council, short of the 17 a majority needs.
| Turnout | Rathnew | 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, Rathnew counts 11 inventory buildings, below both Co. Wicklow’s towns (57) and Irish towns (48). 1.4% of homes were built before 1919. Beneath and around the town lie 8 recorded archaeological sites.
| Heritage | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory buildings per 10,000 residents | 11 | 57 | 48 |
| Homes built before 1919 | 1.4% | 5.6% | 3.4% |
| Archaeological sites on the record | 8 | 17 | 11 |
NIAH, the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage · Sites and Monuments Record · CSO, Census 2022 homes by year built
Pupil numbers changed +12% since 2019/20, above both Co. Wicklow’s towns (+10%) and Irish towns (+4%). Coláiste Chill Mhantáin is the nearest secondary school, 1 km away. Within 3 km of Rathnew there are 11 schools (7 primary schools and 4 secondary schools).
| School | Level | Pupils | Ethos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoil an Choroin Mhuire Special classesLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 432 | Catholic |
| Coláiste Chill Mhantáin DEISLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary · ETB | Post-primary · ETB | 995 | Inter-denominational |
| Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin GaelscoilTeaches through IrishPrimary | Primary | 285 | Inter-denominational |
| Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School DEISIn the DEIS schemePost-primary · Voluntary secondary | Post-primary · Voluntary secondary | 404 | Multi-denominational |
| Schools within 3 km | Rathnew | Co. Wicklow | Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-sex secondaries | 25% | 0% | 39% |
| In the DEIS scheme | 36% | 10% | 35% |
| Pupils since 2019/20 | +12% | +10% | +4% |
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 Rathnew. Best known first.
CastleBlack Castle Wicklow2.7 km outside town, to the eastGardenGardenThe Dower House Gardens1 km outside town, to the northGardenGardenMount Usher Gardens1.7 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumWicklow Gaol2.4 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
4 of Rathnew’s buildings made the national inventory of architectural heritage, all at regional importance. The national record lists 8 archaeological sites in and around the town.
2 notable people were born in Rathnew; with them, the best known born in the towns around it.
Paul McShane: Michael Kranewitter, CC BY-SA 3.0
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Boundaries: Tailte Éireann, CSO Urban Areas 2022 and Electoral Divisions.
Rathnew had 3,482 people at the 2022 census, up from 2,774 in 2016: 25.5% more, against 7.6% in the median of Irish towns.
28% of residents are under 15 and 7% are 65 or over.
82% of working residents drive to work and 11% walk, cycle or take the bus or train (the median of Irish towns: 23%). 7% mostly work from home, and 45% of journeys take under 15 minutes.
Urban area in Co. Wicklow
Rathnew has 3,482 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).