Demographics of Swords
# Demographics of Swords

Swords, a town in the historic County Dublin and modern county of Fingal, is the 8th largest largest town in Ireland. The town's population boom began in the 1970s with the construction of the Rivervalley Estate, Ireland's largest private housing development, ahead of Kilnamanagh Estate in Tallaght North, and continued during the 1990s and 2000s, with many new residents moving to the area due to its proximity to their work at Dublin Airport. Swords is accessed by the R132 and the M1 motorway.

Kinsealy–Drinan is a separate urban area also within the Swords development boundary, as defined by Fingal County Council. Fingal County Council have referred to Swords as an "Emerging City", and expect that the town's (or city's) population will reach 100,000 by 2035.

The town is close to Dublin Airport, and is separated from the city by a narrow green belt around the airport.

The table below contains the population breakdown by Census Towns and electoral divisions in Swords, taken from the 2011 census results.

These are the 2011 Ethnic groups for Swords.

70.2% White Irish (30,946 people)

17.0% Other White (7,089 people)

2.7% Asian (1169 people)

2.6% Black (1142 people)

0.4% Irish Traveller (96 people)

7.1% Other/Not Stated (2096 people)

Total (All Ethnic groups): 42,738

## Census 2011

### Sex, age and marital status

Population by sex and age group :

| Age | Male | Female | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00-04 | 2213 | 1986 | 4199 |
| 05-09 | 1527 | 1512 | 3039 |
| 10-14 | 1353 | 1284 | 2637 |
| 15-19 | 1311 | 1181 | 2492 |
| 20-24 | 1402 | 1488 | 2890 |
| 25-29 | 2053 | 2339 | 4392 |
| 30-34 | 2655 | 2753 | 5408 |
| 35-39 | 2119 | 2117 | 4236 |
| 40-44 | 1637 | 1715 | 3352 |
| 45-49 | 1375 | 1532 | 2907 |
| 50-54 | 1118 | 1177 | 2295 |
| 55-59 | 780 | 852 | 1632 |
| 60-64 | 595 | 641 | 1236 |
| 65-69 | 425 | 445 | 870 |
| 70-74 | 263 | 232 | 495 |
| 75-79 | 120 | 192 | 312 |
| 80-84 | 59 | 114 | 173 |
| 85+ | 44 | 129 | 173 |
| Total | 21049 | 21689 | 42738 |

Population by sex and marital status :

| Status | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Single | 12247 | 11932 | 24179 |
| Married | 7770 | 7744 | 15514 |
| Separated | 429 | 676 | 1105 |
| Divorced | 414 | 636 | 1050 |
| Widowed | 189 | 701 | 890 |
| Total | 21049 | 21689 | 42738 |

### Migration and ethnicity

Usually resident population by place of birth and nationality :

| Location | Birthplace |
| - | - |
| Ireland | 32007 |
| UK | 1891 |
| Poland | 2291 |
| Lithuania | 606 |
| Other EU 27 | 2870 |
| Rest of World | 2701 |
| Not stated | 0 |
| Total | 42366 |

Usually resident population by ethnic or cultural background :

| Ethnic background | Persons |
| - | - |
| White Irish | 31429 |
| White Irish Traveller | 96 |
| Other White | 7130 |
| Black or Black Irish | 1155 |
| Asian or Asian Irish | 1173 |
| Other | 459 |
| Not stated | 924 |
| Total | 42366 |

Usually resident population aged 1 and over by usual residence 1 year before Census Day :

| Residence | Persons |
| - | - |
| Same Address | 37855 |
| Elsewhere in County | 2656 |
| Elsewhere in Ireland | 316 |
| Outside Ireland | 667 |
| Total | 41494 |

Population by religion :

| Religion | Persons |
| - | - |
| Catholic | 34021 |
| Other stated religion | 4711 |
| No religion | 3006 |
| Not stated | 1000 |
| Total | 42738 |

Speakers of foreign languages by language spoken :

| Language | Persons |
| - | - |
| Polish | 2336 |
| French | 620 |
| Lithuanian | 514 |
| Other | 5476 |
| Total | 8946 |

Speakers of foreign languages by ability to speak English :

| Ability | Persons |
| - | - |
| Very well | 3887 |
| Well | 3070 |
| Not well | 1378 |
| Not at all | 298 |
| Not stated | 313 |
| Total | 8946 |

### Irish language

Population aged 3 or over by ability to speak Irish :

| Ability | Persons |
| - | - |
| Yes | 14126 |
| No | 24947 |
| Not stated | 967 |
| Total | 40040 |

Irish speakers aged 3 or over by frequency of speaking Irish :

| Frequency | Persons |
| - | - |
| Speaks Irish Daily, within education system only | 4475 |
| Speaks Irish Daily, within and also outside education system | 322 |
| Outside education system, Daily | 344 |
| Outside education system, Weekly | 725 |
| Outside education system, Less often | 4254 |
| Outside education system, Never | 3909 |
| Outside education system, Not stated | 97 |
| Total | 14126 |

Irish speakers within education aged 3+, by frequency of speaking Irish outside education :

| Frequency | Persons | Males | Females |
| - | - | - | - |
| Daily | 186 | 66 | 120 |
| Weekly | 56 | 25 | 31 |
| Less often | 36 | 14 | 22 |
| Never | 44 | 17 | 27 |
| Total | 322 | 122 | 200 |

### Families

Families, family members and children in families, by size of family :

| Size of family | Number of families | Number of persons in families | Number of children in families |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2 persons | 4390 | 8780 | 1157 |
| 3 persons | 2946 | 8838 | 3546 |
| 4 persons | 2702 | 10808 | 5630 |
| 5 persons | 1107 | 5535 | 3373 |
| 6 or more persons | 339 | 2112 | 1449 |
| Total | 11484 | 36073 | 15155 |

Family units with children by size and age of children :

| | All children under 15 | All children 15 or over | Children both under and over 15 | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| No children | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3233 |
| 1 child | 2146 | 1357 | 0 | 3503 |
| 2 children | 1764 | 840 | 472 | 3076 |
| 3 children | 592 | 234 | 455 | 1281 |
| 4 children | 135 | 48 | 132 | 315 |
| 5 or more children | 22 | 6 | 48 | 76 |

Family units with children by type of family and age of children :

Number of families :

| | Couples with children | Lone mothers with children | Lone fathers with children |
| - | - | - | - |
| All children aged under fifteen | 3620 | 981 | 58 |
| All children aged over fifteen | 1695 | 648 | 142 |
| Other | 886 | 201 | 20 |
| Total number of family units | 6201 | 1830 | 220 |

Number of children :

| | Couples with children | Lone mothers with children | Lone fathers with children |
| - | - | - | - |
| All children aged under fifteen | 6520 | 1499 | 84 |
| All children aged over fifteen | 2834 | 937 | 190 |
| Other | 2478 | 564 | 49 |
| Total number of family units | 11832 | 3000 | 323 |

Families by age of youngest child :

| | Number of families | Number of family members |
| - | - | - |
| 0–4 years | 3243 | 11850 |
| 5–9 years | 1423 | 5407 |
| 10–14 years | 1100 | 4209 |
| 15–19 years | 989 | 3574 |
| 20+ years | 1496 | 4567 |
| Total | 8251 | 29607 |

Families by family cycle :

| Family cycle | Number of families | Number of family members |
| - | - | - |
| Pre-family | 2020 | 4040 |
| Empty nest | 814 | 1628 |
| Retired | 399 | 798 |
| Pre-school | 1979 | 6220 |
| Early school | 1450 | 5351 |
| Pre-Adolescent | 1230 | 4811 |
| Adolescent | 1295 | 5050 |
| Adult | 2297 | 8175 |
| Total | 11484 | 36073 |

Females aged 20 years or over by number of children born alive :

| Number of children born | Number of females |
| - | - |
| 0 | 5477 |
| 1 | 2687 |
| 2 | 3466 |
| 3 | 2015 |
| 4 or more | 1504 |
| Total | 15149 |

### Private Households

Private households by type :

| Type of Household | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - |
| One person | 2471 | 2471 |
| Husband and wife | 1767 | 3534 |
| Cohabiting couple | 968 | 1936 |
| Husband, wife and children | 5036 | 20036 |
| Cohabiting couple and children | 646 | 2338 |
| Father and children | 177 | 441 |
| Mother and children | 1495 | 4037 |
| Couple and others | 341 | 1209 |
| Couple, children and others | 353 | 1745 |
| Father, children and others | 32 | 122 |
| Mother, children and others | 162 | 597 |
| Two or more family units | 250 | 1385 |
| Non-family households and relations | 367 | 911 |
| Two or more non-related persons | 741 | 1997 |
| Total | 14806 | 42759 |

Private households by size :

| Size of family | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - |
| 1 person | 2471 | 2471 |
| 2 persons | 4285 | 8570 |
| 3 persons | 3166 | 9498 |
| 4 persons | 2957 | 11828 |
| 5 persons | 1381 | 6905 |
| 6 persons | 404 | 2424 |
| 7 persons | 93 | 651 |
| 8 or more persons | 49 | 412 |
| Total | 14806 | 42759 |

### Housing

Swords is a socio-economically mixed area with the local housing stock being made up of private and local authority housing.

In 1999 the Seatown Villas area of Swords celebrated 50 years in existence, making it the oldest local authority housing estate in Dublin outside of the city limits. In 2005, Fingal County Council opened 138 council housing units in the Applewood development in Swords. This is the first such public-private housing development to take place in Fingal where private development is inter-mixed with local authority housing. This successful pilot scheme has been replicated in the south of the town in the Boroimhe Estate and also in the Mulhuddart area.

Private households by type of accommodation :

| Type of accommodation | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - |
| House/Bungalow | 11954 | 36293 |
| Flat/Apartment | 2516 | 5515 |
| Bed-sit | 13 | 33 |
| Caravan/Mobile Home | 8 | 20 |
| Not stated | 315 | 898 |
| Total | 14806 | 42759 |

Permanent private households by year built :

| Year Built | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - |
| Pre 1919 | 49 | 121 |
| 1919 to 1945 | 70 | 180 |
| 1946 to 1960 | 201 | 503 |
| 1961 to 1970 | 747 | 1996 |
| 1971 to 1980 | 1953 | 5607 |
| 1981 to 1990 | 2486 | 7730 |
| 1991 to 2000 | 2739 | 8782 |
| 2001 to 2005 | 4208 | 11437 |
| 2006 or later | 1438 | 3544 |
| Not stated | 907 | 2839 |
| Total | 14798 | 42739 |

Permanent private households by type of occupancy :

| Type of occupancy | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - |
| Owner occupied with mortgage | 7599 | 22694 |
| Owner occupied no mortgage | 2642 | 6624 |
| Rented from Private Landlord | 3517 | 10569 |
| Rented from Local Authority | 628 | 1823 |
| Rented from Voluntary Body | 123 | 354 |
| Occupied free of rent | 67 | 126 |
| Not stated | 222 | 549 |
| Total | 14798 | 42739 |

Permanent private households by number of rooms :

| Number of rooms | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - |
| 1 room | 138 | 261 |
| 2 rooms | 907 | 1964 |
| 3 rooms | 1619 | 4374 |
| 4 rooms | 2025 | 4782 |
| 5 rooms | 4267 | 12079 |
| 6 rooms | 2609 | 8264 |
| 7 rooms | 1737 | 5915 |
| 8 or more rooms | 959 | 3707 |
| Not stated | 537 | 1393 |
| Total | 14798 | 42739 |

Permanent private households by central heating :

| Central heating type | Households |
| - | - |
| No central heating | 54 |
| Oil | 2100 |
| Natural Gas | 11413 |
| Electricity | 887 |
| Coal (including anthracite) | 78 |
| Peat (including turf) | 7 |
| Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) | 21 |
| Wood (including wood pellets) | 7 |
| Other | 15 |
| Not stated | 216 |
| Total | 14798 |

Permanent private households by water supply :

| Water supply | Households |
| - | - |
| Public main | 13542 |
| Group scheme with local authority source | 688 |
| Group scheme with private source | 16 |
| Other private source | 10 |
| None | 0 |
| Not stated | 542 |
| Total | 14798 |

Permanent private households by sewerage facility :

| Sewerage facility | Households |
| - | - |
| Public scheme | 13838 |
| Individual septic tank | 141 |
| Other individual treatment | 25 |
| Other | 53 |
| No sewerage facility | 10 |
| Not stated | 731 |
| Total | 14798 |

Occupancy status of permanent dwellings on Census night :

| Occupancy | Dwellings |
| - | - |
| Occupied | 14818 |
| Unoccupied | 1125 |
| Total | 15943 |

### Communal Establishments

Persons in Communal Establishments :

| Number of establishments | 16 |
| - | - |
| Number of persons | 481 |

### Principal Status

Population aged 15 years and over by principal economic status and sex :

| Principal Economic Status | Male | Female | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| At work | 10806 | 10169 | 20975 |
| Looking for first regular job | 167 | 152 | 319 |
| Unemployed having lost or given up previous job | 1856 | 1271 | 3127 |
| Student | 1595 | 1536 | 3131 |
| Looking after home/family | 112 | 2201 | 2313 |
| Retired | 1023 | 915 | 1938 |
| Unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability | 380 | 626 | 1006 |
| Other | 17 | 37 | 54 |
| Total | 15956 | 16907 | 32863 |

### Social Class and Socio-Economic Group

Population by sex and social class :

| Social Class | Male | Female | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Professional workers | 1316 | 1132 | 2448 |
| Managerial and technical | 6040 | 6539 | 12579 |
| Non-manual | 3487 | 5722 | 9209 |
| Skilled manual | 4396 | 2336 | 6732 |
| Semi-skilled | 2480 | 2110 | 4590 |
| Unskilled | 714 | 653 | 1367 |
| All others gainfully occupied and unknown | 2616 | 3197 | 5813 |
| Total | 21049 | 21689 | 42738 |

Persons in private households by socio-economic group of reference person :

| | Socio-economic group of reference person | Households | Persons |
| - | - | - | - |
| A | Employers and managers | 2704 | 7949 |
| B | Higher professional | 842 | 2256 |
| C | Lower professional | 1783 | 4761 |
| D | Non-manual | 3761 | 10498 |
| E | Manual skilled | 1332 | 4168 |
| F | Semi-skilled | 1209 | 3775 |
| G | Unskilled | 421 | 1309 |
| H | Own account workers | 806 | 2637 |
| I | Farmers | 24 | 77 |
| J | Agricultural workers | 50 | 173 |
| Z | All others gainfully occupied and unknown | 1874 | 5156 |
| | Total | 14806 | 42759 |

### Education

Population aged 15 years and over by age education ceased :

| Age | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Under 15 years | 472 | 497 | 969 |
| 15 | 576 | 433 | 1009 |
| 16 | 1102 | 910 | 2012 |
| 17 | 1259 | 1398 | 2657 |
| 18 | 1812 | 1987 | 3799 |
| 19 | 563 | 827 | 1390 |
| 20 | 588 | 637 | 1225 |
| 21 and over | 2843 | 3124 | 5967 |
| Not stated | 3875 | 4250 | 8125 |
| Total | 13090 | 14063 | 27153 |

Population aged 15 years and over whose education has not ceased :

| Education | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Still at school | 1595 | 1536 | 3131 |
| Other | 1271 | 1308 | 2579 |

Population aged 15 years and over by field of study :

| Qualification | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Education and teacher training | 181 | 730 | 911 |
| Arts | 278 | 293 | 571 |
| Humanities | 159 | 313 | 472 |
| Social sciences, Business and Law | 1811 | 3101 | 4912 |
| Science, Mathematics and Computing | 887 | 588 | 1475 |
| Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction | 2533 | 269 | 2802 |
| Agriculture and Veterinary | 112 | 78 | 190 |
| Health and Welfare | 266 | 1287 | 1553 |
| Services | 729 | 1059 | 1788 |
| Other subjects | 11 | 19 | 30 |
| Not Stated (including unknown) | 6123 | 6326 | 12449 |
| Total | 13090 | 14063 | 27153 |

Population aged 15 years and over by sex and highest level of education completed :

| Education Level | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| No Formal Education | 95 | 85 | 180 |
| Primary Education | 912 | 1059 | 1971 |
| Lower Secondary | 1949 | 1851 | 3800 |
| Upper Secondary | 3012 | 3540 | 6552 |
| Technical or Vocational qualification | 1378 | 1543 | 2921 |
| Advanced Certificate/Completed Apprenticeship | 1275 | 591 | 1866 |
| Higher Certificate | 702 | 802 | 1504 |
| Ordinary Bachelor Degree or National Diploma | 1105 | 1238 | 2343 |
| Honours Bachelor Degree, Professional qualification or both | 1194 | 1458 | 2652 |
| Postgraduate Diploma or Degree | 790 | 1191 | 1981 |
| Doctorate(Ph.D) or higher | 65 | 64 | 129 |
| Not stated | 613 | 641 | 1254 |
| Total | 13090 | 14063 | 27153 |

### Commuting

Population aged 5 years and over by means of travel to work, school or college :

| Means | Persons |
| - | - |
| On foot | 4532 |
| Bicycle | 512 |
| Bus, minibus or coach | 4730 |
| Train, DART or LUAS | 376 |
| Motorcycle or scooter | 181 |
| Car driver | 12892 |
| Car passenger | 4208 |
| Van | 830 |
| Other | 391 |
| Not stated | 854 |
| Total | 29506 |

Population aged 5 years and over by time leaving home to travel to work, school or college :

| Time | Persons |
| - | - |
| Before 06:30 | 2753 |
| 06:30-07:00 | 2247 |
| 07:01-07:30 | 3006 |
| 07:31-08:00 | 4575 |
| 08:01-08:30 | 6219 |
| 08:31-09:00 | 5636 |
| 09:01-09:30 | 1032 |
| After 09:30 | 2576 |
| Not stated | 1132 |
| Total | 29176 |

Population aged 5 years and over by journey time to work, school or college :

| Time | Persons |
| - | - |
| Under 15 mins | 7955 |
| 1⁄4 hour – under 1⁄2 hour | 8896 |
| 1⁄2 hour – under 3⁄4 hour | 5554 |
| 3⁄4 hour – under 1 hour | 2238 |
| 1 hour – under 1+1⁄2 hours | 2313 |
| 1+1⁄2 hours and over | 569 |
| Not stated | 1651 |
| Total | 29176 |

### Disability, carers and general health

Persons with disability by age group :

| Age group | Persons |
| - | - |
| 00-14 | 508 |
| 15-24 | 384 |
| 25-44 | 1191 |
| 45-64 | 1206 |
| 65+ | 747 |
| Total | 4036 |

Carers by sex and number of unpaid hours per week :

| Number of hours | Males | Females |
| - | - | - |
| '1-14 | 246 | 388 |
| '15-28 | 58 | 126 |
| '29-42 | 37 | 54 |
| '43+ | 72 | 166 |
| 'Not stated | 62 | 94 |
| 'Total | 475 | 828 |

Population by general health and sex :

| Health | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Very good | 13423 | 13616 | 27039 |
| Good | 5763 | 6046 | 11809 |
| Fair | 1054 | 1261 | 2315 |
| Bad | 147 | 186 | 333 |
| Very bad | 41 | 36 | 77 |
| Not stated | 621 | 544 | 1165 |
| Total | 21049 | 21689 | 42738 |

### Occupation

Persons at work or unemployed by occupation and sex :

| Occupation | Males | Females | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Managers, Directors and Senior Officials | 1233 | 734 | 1967 |
| Professional Occupations | 1358 | 1768 | 3126 |
| Associate Professional and Technical Occupations | 1767 | 1204 | 2971 |
| Administrative and Secretarial Occupations | 704 | 2348 | 3052 |
| Skilled Trades Occupations | 2212 | 203 | 2415 |
| Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations | 348 | 1392 | 1740 |
| Sales and Customer Service Occupations | 793 | 1497 | 2290 |
| Process, Plant and Machine Operatives | 1625 | 287 | 1912 |
| Elementary Occupations | 1585 | 1084 | 2669 |
| Not stated | 1037 | 923 | 1960 |
| Total | 12662 | 11440 | 24102 |

### Industries

Persons at work by industry and sex :

| Industry | Males | Females |
| - | - | - |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 86 | 40 |
| Building and construction | 667 | 62 |
| Manufacturing industries | 1067 | 535 |
| Commerce and trade | 2872 | 3061 |
| Transport and communications | 2410 | 1137 |
| Public administration | 719 | 627 |
| Professional services | 1373 | 3099 |
| Other | 1612 | 1608 |
| Total | 10806 | 10169 |

### PC and Internet Access

Number of households with cars :

| Cars | Households |
| - | - |
| No motor car | 1791 |
| One motor car | 6481 |
| Two motor cars | 5581 |
| Three motor cars | 777 |
| Four or more motor cars | 168 |

Number of households with a personal computer :

| | Households |
| - | - |
| Yes | 12652 |
| No | 1811 |
| Not stated | 335 |
| Total | 14798 |

Number of households with internet access :

| | Households |
| - | - |
| Broadband | 12023 |
| Other | 737 |
| No | 1678 |
| Not stated | 360 |
| Total | 14798 |
