Kirkby Stephen’s story
48 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Kirkby Stephen’s built-up area.
41% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Kirkby StephenCumbria
1,895 people live in this village in Cumbria, North West.
1 place within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,895
Census 2021 · Eden council
Median home
£240K
108 sales in 3 years
Median age
50
29% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
24%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Kirkby Stephen a good place to live?
Kirkby Stephen’s schools beat most (A): primary results beat 94% of towns in England; secondary results beat 90% of towns in England. Incomes are on the low side: mean household income £42,631; 2.9% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Prices are high against local incomes (D): the median home sold for £239,975, 5.5 years of area income. It lags on safety as well: 28.7 violent and sexual offences and 9.9 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Only a fifth of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people have more crime per resident.
Figures: income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Kirkby Stephen has subject grades but no overall one.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Westmorland and Furness, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
What makes Kirkby Stephen stand out
The 3 things Kirkby Stephen does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Stephen; 10.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
29% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Primary results, towns in England
Schools
Primary results beat 94%
of towns in England, on Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths
Secondary results beat 90%. Department for Education.
How Kirkby Stephen grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Kirkby Stephen is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeAmong the weakest of the towns comparedD−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 94% of towns in England; secondary results beat 90% of towns in EnglandAOpen →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnDOpen →Walkability24% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.2 for men, 85.5 for womenB+Open →SafetyMore crime than in most townsC+Open →Hazard risk0.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryIn the top fifth of the towns comparedA+Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 65% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life9 local charities per 1,000 residents; 81% live within 1 km of a libraryA+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kirkby Stephen.
Who lives here
Kirkby Stephen skews older, with 29% of residents 65 or over, more than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns
Among adults, 28% have a degree. Children under 15 make up 14%, below both Cumbria’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%); what’s more, the share aged 15 to 24 is 8.5%. Residents of Kirkby Stephen have a median age of 50.
50median age
Kirkby StephenCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications24%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Kirkby Stephen | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA
Results at Kirkby Stephen’s schools beat 95% of towns in England
Between them, one primary and one secondary teach 566 pupils in Kirkby Stephen. Its two schools are listed below. 73% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
ASchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkby Stephen Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 189 | A− |
| Kirkby Stephen Grammar SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 377 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
History
Old homes shape Kirkby Stephen: 41% were built before 1919, more than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 21% of Kirkby Stephen’s land, higher than both Cumbria’s towns (7%) and England’s towns (7%). For its size, Kirkby Stephen has 253 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Historic England’s list names 48 listed buildings locally: 1 Grade II*.
48listed buildingsA+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II47
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Stephen Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
41%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
253
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D
Kirkby Stephen is a renters’ town: 23% of households rent privately, more than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns
Three in five households own their home, lower than Cumbria’s towns (68%) and near England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £816 a month across the Westmorland and Furness council area. Also worth knowing: 108 standard sales inside Kirkby Stephen’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £239,975.
£240Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Kirkby Stephen£240K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £384,950 | 41 |
| Semi-detached | £225,000 | 29 |
| Terraced | £170,000 | 33 |
| Flat or maisonette | £175,000 | 5 |
60%
of households own their home · England 61%
23%
rent privately · England 21%
£816
average private rent a month, Westmorland and Furness council area
£2,590
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Kirkby Stephen is more walkable than 87% of UK towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Short trips to work, under 5 km: 39%, below both Cumbria’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%). Kirkby Stephen counts 1 jobs per working resident. Of the commuters living locally, 31% work in the town itself.
24%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving74%
On foot19%
Bus3%
Bicycle2%
39%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
23%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£43K
mean household income, before tax
2.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A
Walkability: more walkable than 87% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Kirkby Stephen is 31.9 miles from the nearest A&E
Women here live to 85.5 on average and men to 82.2 (2019–23). One GP practice serves the town; 84% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. A disability affects just over a fifth of people in Kirkby Stephen. 78% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Cumbria’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%) alike.
78%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Kirkby Stephen | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Safety
Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Kirkby Stephen records more crime per resident than four in five them
Kirkby Stephen logged 132 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 3 complaints of anti-social conduct. Of all the crimes, 51% were violence and sexual offences. There were 2.1 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Cumbria’s towns (3.5) and England’s towns (7.8).
28.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 20% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual67
Public order22
Damage & arson13
Shoplifting7
Burglary7
Other crime5
Other theft4
Drugs3
Anti-social3
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
28.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
132
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Stainmore Railway Company and 2 more in and around Kirkby Stephen
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Kirkby Stephen. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumStainmore Railway Companyin town
CastlePendragon Castle4.8 km outside town, to the south
CastleHartley Castle600 m outside town, to the east
CastlePendragon Castle4.8 km outside town, to the southCastleHartley Castle600 m outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Pendragon Castle: Matthew Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hartley Castle: Stephen Craven https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/6597, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kirkby Stephen
15pages on Kirkby Stephen
The big questions
SafetyC+28.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £240K · rent £816 a monthHousing35 sold in 12 months · busiest street Academy CloseSchoolsA2 state schoolsHealthB+Life expectancy 82.2 (men), 85.5 (women)Work & commuteD−61% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Kirkby Stephen
3 notable people were born in Kirkby Stephen.
Kirkby Stephen’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Appleby-in-WestmorlandKirkby Stephen
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkby Stephen | 1,895 | — | — | D | C+ | B+ |
| Appleby-in-Westmorland | 3,233 | 9.3 | D | C− | C− | B+ |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Kirkby Stephen
How many listed buildings are there in Kirkby Stephen?
That is 10.4 times the typical UK town for its size.
Are schools in Kirkby Stephen good?
GCSE results beat 90% of towns in England, and primary results beat 94% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). Kirkby Stephen has 2 state schools; places are handled by Cumbria council.
About Kirkby Stephen
Village in Cumbria, England
Kirkby Stephen is a built-up area of 1,895 people, in the Eden council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 1,895 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Eden
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000362
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.