Criccieth’s story
29 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Cadw lists them inside Criccieth’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
44% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
CricciethGwynedd
A village of 1,737 in Gwynedd, Wales.
6 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Bill Harrison · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,737
Census 2021 · Gwynedd council
Median home
£314K
72 sales in 3 years
Median age
56.6
37% are 65+ · Gwynedd 23%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · Wales 31%
Walk, cycle, bus
22%
of commuters · Wales 16%
Is Criccieth a good place to live?
Criccieth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 22% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is jobs & income (C−): mean household income £45,127; 2.3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £314,000 in the last three years, 7 times what households in the Gwynedd council area earn in a year.
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 Criccieth stand out
The 3 things Criccieth does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Catherine; 6.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Cadw’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
37% are 65 or over
Against 21% across Wales’s towns
Own outright
Housing
53% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (Wales’s towns 36%)
How Criccieth grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Wales), ordered by how far Criccieth is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityA−Open →Jobs & incomeC−Open →Cost of livingrent £724 a monthCOpen →SafetyBOpen →Health7.9% in bad or very bad health, 22% disabled (adjusted for age in the grade)C+Open →Hazard risk0.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →
SchoolsNot published in Wales–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryAOpen →Outdoors75% live within 400 m of a park; 4% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeBOpen →Civic life4 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryA+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Criccieth.
Who lives here
Criccieth skews older, with 37% of residents 65 or over, more than in Gwynedd’s towns and across Wales’s towns
Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 7.7% of the town. 13% are under 15, below Gwynedd’s towns (16%) and Wales’s towns (17%) alike. Ages in Criccieth split evenly at 56.6: half are older, half younger.
56.6median age
CricciethGwyneddWales
Ages · share of residents
37%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women. Across Wales, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Criccieth | Gwynedd | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 22% | 25% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 37% | 23% | 21% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 18% | 20% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 32% | 31% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gwynedd and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
1 state school in Criccieth
It appears below. The town’s primary school has 118 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ysgol TreferthyrLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 118 | – |
Welsh Government · schools list · Wales publishes no school-level results, so its schools have no letters.The Schools page →
History
More of the land in Criccieth is conservation area than in Gwynedd’s towns or Wales’s towns: 20%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Criccieth has 167 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, higher than both Gwynedd’s towns (76) and Wales’s towns (18). Before 1919: that is when 44% of homes were built. It has 29 listed buildings on Cadw’s list: 1 Grade II*.
29listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Cadw
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II28
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Catherine Grade II*
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
44%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
167
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 C−
Work tends to be further away for Criccieth: 28% commute under 5 km, below Gwynedd’s towns and Wales’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Of the commuters living in Criccieth, 24% work in the town itself. The car took 76% of commuters, lower than both Gwynedd’s towns (79%) and Wales’s towns (81%). This Gwynedd town counts 0.9 jobs per working resident.
22%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving76%
On foot18%
Bus3%
Train1%
28%
of commuters travel under 5 km · Wales 41%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£45K
mean household income, before tax
2.3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A−
Walkability: more walkable than 83% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C
Criccieth’s grade for cost of living grade: a C
Social housing holds 14% of households, below Gwynedd’s towns (19%) and Wales’s towns (18%) alike. Owners make up 68% of households. 72 standard sales inside Criccieth’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £314,000.
£314Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Criccieth£314K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 35 |
| Semi-detached | £310,000 | 9 |
| Terraced | £223,500 | 24 |
68%
of households own their home · Wales 65%
£724
average private rent a month, Gwynedd council area
£2,469
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded less often in Criccieth than in Gwynedd’s towns or across Wales’s towns: 20.7 per 1,000 residents a year
Burglary and damage came to 6.1 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Gwynedd’s towns (9.2) and Wales’s towns (10.7). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 55 crimes and 17 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Criccieth’s built-up area. Nearly half of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
20.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 43% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual27
Other theft9
Damage & arson8
Public order5
Shoplifting2
Burglary1
Drugs1
Vehicle crime1
Anti-social17
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.
20.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
55
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
Criccieth is 20.2 miles from the nearest A&E
One GP practice serves the town. Of the 33 towns in Gwynedd, Criccieth has the largest share in bad or very bad health: 7.9%. At the census, 78% of people in Criccieth called their health good or very good, below Gwynedd’s towns (80%) and close to Wales’s towns (78%).
78%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Criccieth | Gwynedd | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 80% | 78% |
| Bad or very bad health | 7.9% | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 20% | 22% |
78
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.7
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 · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy among them.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Castell Cricieth and 3 more in and around Criccieth
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Criccieth. Best known first.
Castle · CadwCastell Cricieth100 m outside town, to the south
MuseumLloyd George Museum1.7 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionDavid Lloyd George's Grave1.7 km outside town, to the westZooZooDwyfor Ranch Rabbit farm and Animal Park2 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Castell Cricieth: Barry Skeates from newbury, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lloyd George Museum: John Firth, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Criccieth
15pages on Criccieth
The big questions
SafetyB20.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £314K · rent £724 a monthHousing22 sold in 12 months · busiest street Gwaen GanolSchools1 state school (no results published in Wales)HealthC+Work & commuteC−58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Criccieth
7 notable people were born in Criccieth.
O
Olwen Elizabeth Lloyd George(1892-1990)D
Dyfan DwyforWelsh actorP
Paul RobertsWelsh footballer · born 1977Photo credits
Megan Lloyd George: Bassano Ltd, Public domain · William R. P. George: Geoff Charles, CC BY-SA 4.0
Criccieth’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PorthmadogHarlechPenrhyndeudraethPwllheliPenygroesNefynCriccieth
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criccieth | 1,737 | — | — | C | B | C+ |
| Porthmadog | 2,579 | 4.2 | C+ | A− | C− | C+ |
| Harlech | 1,261 | 6.5 | — | B+ | C+ | B− |
| Penrhyndeudraeth | 1,463 | 7 | — | A− | C | C+ |
| Pwllheli | 3,622 | 7.9 | C | B+ | D | C |
| Penygroes | 1,793 | 9.5 | — | A− | D | C |
| Nefyn | 1,291 | 12 | — | B− | C | C+ |
Harlech, Penrhyndeudraeth, Penygroes and Nefyn have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Criccieth
How many listed buildings are there in Criccieth?
29 on Cadw’s list, 1 of them Grade II*. That is 6.9 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Is Criccieth safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades B. Burglary was rare, with 1 report in the year.
About Criccieth
Village in Gwynedd, Wales
Criccieth is a built-up area of 1,737 people, in the Gwynedd 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
- 1,737 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Gwynedd
- County
- Gwynedd
- Region
- Wales
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- ONS code
- W45000177
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.