Gelligaer’s story
4 listed buildings
Cadw lists them inside Gelligaer’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
GelligaerGwent
It is a village of 1,436 residents in Gwent, Wales.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Roger Cornfoot · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,436
Census 2021 · Caerphilly council
Median home
£148K
20 sales in 3 years
Median age
36.5
16% are 65+ · Gwent 20%
Degree level
15%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Gelligaer a good place to live?
Homes are affordable: the median home sold for £147,500, 3.5 years of area income. Safety is its weak spot: 85 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 26.9 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, it has less crime per resident than 0%. Natural hazards are less of a worry than in most UK towns (A).
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Natural Resources Wales. Gelligaer has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
This town's Health Grade uses ONS's small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns' grades also use OHID's small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
What makes Gelligaer stand out
The 3 things Gelligaer does most differently from other towns.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Wales’s towns 31%)
Gwent 28%.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
47% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Claimant rate, against UK towns
Work
of 16 to 64s in 2026: more than in 95% of UK towns
DWP claimant count, January to August 2026.
How Gelligaer grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Gelligaer is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SafetyD−Open →HealthD−Open →Jobs & incomeD−Open →Cost of livingrent £747 a monthAOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →Walkability14% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportB−Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryCOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 2.3 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC+Open →Civic life0.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryD−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gelligaer.
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Gelligaer than in Gwent’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 15% of adults
Gelligaer has a median age of 36.5 years. Aged 15 to 24: 14% of residents. Children under 15 make up 19%, higher than both Gwent’s towns (18%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Over-65s are 16% of the population.
36.5median age
GelligaerGwentWales
Ages · share of residents
14%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications39%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level15%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women.
| Gelligaer | Gwent | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 16% | 20% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 39% | 23% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 15% | 28% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwent and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Gelligaer
It is listed below. Its one primary school teaches 166 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhill Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 166 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
Safety
Gelligaer has more crime per resident than 100% of UK towns
Reported offences in Gelligaer came to 239 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 40. For its size, Gelligaer records more crime per resident than 100% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 26.7 reports per 1,000, above Gwent’s towns (15) and Wales’s towns (10.4) alike. Also worth knowing: 51% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
85violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearD−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 0% 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 & sexual122
Damage & arson28
Public order25
Shoplifting15
Other theft14
Vehicle crime11
Other crime10
Burglary7
Anti-social40
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.
85
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
26.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
26.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
239
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.
Health
Only 68% of people in Gelligaer say their health is good or very good, fewer than in both Gwent’s towns and Wales’s towns
Life expectancy here is 81.1 for women and 75.8 for men (2019–23). Gelligaer’s share in bad or very bad health, 15%, is the highest of the 63 towns in Gwent; what’s more, just over a third of residents in Gelligaer live with a disability. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 0.3 miles off.
68%good or very good healthD−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 68%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 15%
| Census 2021 | Gelligaer | Gwent | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 68% | 77% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 15% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 34% | 22% | 22% |
75.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.1
life expectancy at birth, women
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · ONS, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy among them.
HousingCost of living grade A
Social housing is more common in Gelligaer than in Gwent’s towns or across Wales’s towns, at 49% of households
39% of households are owner-occupiers. Private renters make up 11% of households, lower than both Gwent’s towns (14%) and Wales’s towns (17%). Half of the 20 standard sales inside Gelligaer’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £147,500.
£148Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Gelligaer£148K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £155,000 | 15 |
39%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
11%
rent privately · Wales 17%
£747
average private rent a month, Caerphilly council area
£2,083
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
More of the land in Gelligaer is conservation area than in Gwent’s towns or Wales’s towns: 13%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
None of the 4 listed buildings reaches Grade II* or Grade I; all are Grade II. 2 scheduled monuments lie in Gelligaer.
4listed buildingsCHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
2
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
11%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
28
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Cadw list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Benefit claims run higher in Gelligaer, 4.9% of 16 to 64s, than in Gwent’s towns or across Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 16% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Income per household averages £40K a year, before tax. 3% of commuters who live in Gelligaer also work there. For every resident in work, Gelligaer has 0.5 jobs.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving83%
On foot8%
Bus4%
Train1%
16%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£40K
mean household income, before tax
4.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 50% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gelligaer
14pages on Gelligaer
The big questions
SafetyD−85 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingAMedian home £148K · rent £747 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthD−Work & commuteD−36% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Gelligaer’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Pen-pedair-heolTir-y-berth and Glan-y-nantYstrad MynachNelsonFleur-de-lis and PengamTrelewisBargodGelligaer
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gelligaer | 1,436 | — | — | A | D− | D− |
| Pen-pedair-heol | 3,787 | 0.7 | C+ | B+ | B+ | D |
| Tir-y-berth and Glan-y-nant | 1,411 | 1.2 | — | A− | C− | D |
| Ystrad Mynach | 11,856 | 1.4 | C− | A− | D | D |
| Nelson | 4,235 | 1.6 | C | B+ | C | D |
| Fleur-de-lis and Pengam | 3,102 | 1.6 | C− | A− | C | D |
| Trelewis | 2,022 | 1.7 | — | B− | C | D |
| Bargod | 8,034 | 1.9 | C− | A | D | D− |
Tir-y-berth and Glan-y-nant and Trelewis have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Gelligaer
Is Gelligaer expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £147,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
About Gelligaer
Village in Gwent, Wales
Gelligaer is a built-up area of 1,436 people, in the Caerphilly 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
- 1,436 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Caerphilly
- County
- Gwent
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000482
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) · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.