NEWTOWN IS FASTEST-GROWING TOWN
SIXTY-FIVE PER CENT OF POPULATION LIVING IN URBAN AREAS
SIXTY-FIVE per cent of County Wicklow’s population live in urban areas, according to the latest figures released from Census 2016.
The Central Statistics Office has published the second in its series of eleven thematic reports from last year’s Census, dealing with population distributation and movements.
The report shows that of a total population of 142,425 in April 2016, 65 per cent (92,593 persons) of those living in the Garden County lived in urban areas, with 35 per cent (49,832 persons) living in rural areas.
Nationally, 62.7 per cent live in urban areas and 37.3 per cent in rural areas.
With a population of 32,600 people, Bray remains the largest town in the county. The fastest growing town, in percentage terms, is Newtownmountkennedy, which experienced a 17.6 per cent growth in population between 2011 and 2016.
Nationally, Drogheda is the largest town in the country (population of 40,956), followed by Swords (39,248) and Dundalk (39,004), while Saggart in south Dublin is the fastest growing town; its population increasing by 46.1 percent between 2011 and 2016.
Of the 7,848 usual Wicklow residents who moved in the year up to April 2016, most (5,043) moved elsewhere within the county.
Only 745 of the 2,934 Wicklow households who moved in the year preceding the census bought their new home with a mortgage or loan. Fourhundred-and-twenty-three owned their new home outright while 1,702 rented their accommodation.
Nationally, 263,551 usual residents moved in the year to April 2016.
‘Census 2016 Profile 2 – Population Distribution and Movements’ is now available on the Central Statistics Office website at www.cso.ie/en/census.