Cullybackey’s story
12 listed buildings
The Historic Environment Division lists them inside Cullybackey’s settlement.
Explore the history →
CullybackeyMid and East Antrim
The average domestic rates bill is £1,177 a year. The town has 2,659 residents and lies in Mid and East Antrim, Northern Ireland.
4 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Kenneth Allen · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,659
Census 2021 · Mid and East Antrim council
Median home
£170K
55 sales in 2022–24
Median age
42.7
21% are 65+ · Mid and East Antrim 20%
Degree level
21%
of residents 16+ · Northern Ireland 32%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · Northern Ireland 18%
TownGrade
B+
#4 of 8 in Mid and East Antrim
Is Cullybackey a good place to live?
Buying a home costs less than in most towns (A+): the median home sold for £169,700, 3.5 years of area income. Overall, Cullybackey earns a B+, which places it #4 of 8 in Mid and East Antrim and #35 of 63 in Northern Ireland. That leaves it better than 72% of UK towns. The catch is health (C): life expectancy 81.1 for men, 84.4 for women. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety and B− for schools.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry (LPS), 2022 to 2024 at early-2025 prices · life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026.
This town's Cost Grade uses house prices and the domestic rates bill: Northern Ireland has no council tax, and no rents are published for its council areas. This town's Health Grade uses NISRA's life expectancy for its district electoral area (2022 to 2024) and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. Healthy life expectancy and the early-death and hospital measures English towns use aren't published for small areas in Northern Ireland. This town's School Grade uses GCSE results at the post-primary schools its children travel to, grammar and non-grammar, compared with schools across Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland publishes no primary school results. Northern Ireland has no Jobs Grade (no small-area income, claimant or job-access data is published) and no Hazards Grade (its flood maps aren't open data).
StrongestA+Cost of living
What makes Cullybackey stand out
The 3 things Cullybackey does most differently from other towns.
Rates vs council tax, average bill
Rates
£1,177 a year
The average domestic rates bill in Mid and East Antrim, 2026–27: 37% below England’s average council tax per home, £1,868
Rates are set on the home’s value and also pay for water. Land & Property Services.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
39% below the typical UK town’s £277K
Ward medians, 2022 to 2024, at early-2025 prices.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (Northern Ireland’s towns 32%)
Mid and East Antrim 27%.
How Cullybackey grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Northern Ireland), ordered by how far Cullybackey is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Cost of livingRates £1,177 a yearA+Open →HealthWeaker than most of the towns comparedCOpen →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carCOpen →SafetyAbout average among the towns comparedB−Open →SchoolsGCSE results beat 54% of Northern Ireland townsB−Open →
Jobs & incomeNo small-area data in NI–
Hazard riskNI flood maps aren’t open–
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cullybackey.
HousingCost of living grade A+
Social housing is more common in Cullybackey than in Mid and East Antrim’s towns or across Northern Ireland’s towns, at 25% of households
56% of households own their home. Private renters make up 16% of households, lower than both Mid and East Antrim’s towns (18%) and Northern Ireland’s towns (19%). It is the 4th most expensive of 8 towns of 2,500+ in Mid and East Antrim.
£170Kmedian sale
Median sale price · 2022 to 2024, at early-2025 prices
Cullybackey£170K
Typical UK town£277K
56%
of households own their home · Northern Ireland 59%
16%
rent privately · Northern Ireland 19%
£1,177
average domestic rates bill, 2026–27 (no council tax in Northern Ireland)
NISRA / Land & Property Services ward sale prices and domestic rates · NISRA Census 2021 tenure · OGL · The figure is NISRA’s median sale price for the wards around Cullybackey, 2022 to 2024, brought to early-2025 prices and weighted by sales.
SchoolsB−
Results at Cullybackey’s schools beat 54% of Northern Ireland towns
Both of its schools are shown below. Cullybackey’s one primary and one secondary have 927 pupils between them. Its two schools are below.
B−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buick Memorial Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 265 | – |
| Cullybackey CollegeLargest post-primary schoolPost-primary | Post-primary | 662 | C− |
Department of Education (NI) · school census and exam results · The grade uses the post-primary schools in or within 10 km; Northern Ireland publishes no primary results.See all 2 schools →
Who lives here
Fewer people in Cullybackey hold a degree than in Mid and East Antrim’s towns or Northern Ireland’s towns: 21%
Those aged 15 to 24 account for one in ten residents. Children under 15 make up 16%, below both Mid and East Antrim’s towns (17%) and Northern Ireland’s towns (19%). Over-65s are 21% of the population. The age that splits Cullybackey in two is 42.7.
42.7median age
CullybackeyMid and East AntrimNorthern Ireland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications33%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level21%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Northern Ireland, 51% of residents are women.
| Cullybackey | Mid and East Antrim | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 17% | 19% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 28% | 26% |
| 65+ | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| No qualifications | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| Degree level | 21% | 27% | 32% |
NISRA Census 2021 · Mid and East Antrim and Northern Ireland: all residents of their settlements · Women and men: whole data zones, which approximate the town’s boundary · OGL
Health
Fewer people in Cullybackey say their health is good than in Mid and East Antrim’s towns or across Northern Ireland’s towns: 74%
At the census, 29% of people here had a disability, above Mid and East Antrim’s towns (27%) and Northern Ireland’s towns (26%) alike.
74%good or very good healthCHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 74%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 9%
| Census 2021 | Cullybackey | Mid and East Antrim | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 76% | 77% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.6% | 8.3% | 8.7% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 29% | 27% | 26% |
81.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2022–24)
84.4
life expectancy at birth, women
Northern Ireland towns’ Health Grades use NISRA’s life expectancy for 2022 to 2024 in the district electoral areas around the town, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age to the same standard as England and Wales. Healthy life expectancy isn’t published for Northern Ireland’s areas, and its early-death, hospital and child-obesity figures cover district electoral areas or council areas rather than small areas, so the Health page compares those with Northern Ireland without grading them.
NISRA Census 2021, general health and disability · NISRA life expectancy by district electoral area, 2022–24 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy.
Work & commute
Only 11% of commuters in Cullybackey go to work without a car, fewer than in Mid and East Antrim’s towns and Northern Ireland’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 12% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.4. The car took 87% of commuters, above both Mid and East Antrim’s towns (83%) and Northern Ireland’s towns (79%). The census counted just over one in ten workers working mainly from home. Work in town: 5% of resident commuters.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot7%
Train3%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
12%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
C
Walkability: more walkable than 34% of UK towns
NISRA Census 2021, method of travel to work · OGL
History
Cullybackey’s heritage list runs to 12 buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Cullybackey keeps 45 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above Mid and East Antrim’s towns (15) and Northern Ireland’s towns (34) alike.
12listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · HED
Grade A0
Grade B+0
Grade B12
0
scheduled monuments
0
historic parks, gardens and demesnes
45
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical town in England and Wales 24
HED list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded more often in Cullybackey than in Mid and East Antrim’s towns or across Northern Ireland’s towns: 26.8 per 1,000 residents a year
Burglary and damage came to 7.3 per 1,000 residents a year, above Mid and East Antrim’s towns (5.2) but below Northern Ireland’s towns (8.8). In the 12 months to August 2026, the PSNI logged 96 crimes and 42 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Cullybackey’s settlement. Of all the crimes, 53% were violence and sexual offences.
26.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 46% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual51
Shoplifting10
Damage & arson9
Drugs7
Other theft5
Other crime5
Public order4
Burglary2
Anti-social42
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.
26.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
21.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
96
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the NISRA settlement boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Galgorm Castle and 2 more in and around Cullybackey
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cullybackey. Best known first.
CastleGalgorm Castle3.3 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumGracehill Village Old School Museum3.3 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumMid-Antrim Museum4.6 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Galgorm Castle: Victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cullybackey
12pages on Cullybackey
The big questions
Famous people from Cullybackey
3 notable people were born in Cullybackey.
B
Billy LeitchEnglish footballer · 1895–1963Photo credits
Jessica Kürten: Caygill, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cullybackey’s neighbours
The nearest settlements, from NISRA’s 2015 boundaries. See them on the map →
AhoghillBallymenaBroughshaneRandalstownCullybackey
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cullybackey | 2,659 | — | B+ | A+ | B− | C |
| Ahoghill | 3,537 | 2.5 | A− | A+ | A− | C+ |
| Ballymena | 31,205 | 3.3 | B | A+ | C− | D |
| Broughshane | 3,097 | 5.5 | A− | A+ | A | C |
| Randalstown | 5,151 | 9.5 | B+ | A+ | B | C |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cullybackey
Is Cullybackey expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale in 2022 to 2024, at early-2025 prices, was £169,700, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. On cost of living it is the 32nd most affordable of 63 Northern Ireland towns.
How much are the rates in Cullybackey?
Northern Ireland has no council tax: homes pay domestic rates, set on the home’s capital value, and the rates also pay for water. The average bill in Mid and East Antrim is about £1,177 a year for 2026–27, against England’s average council tax per home of £1,868. Your own bill depends on your home’s value; check it with Land & Property Services on nidirect.
About Cullybackey
Town in Mid and East Antrim, Northern Ireland
Cullybackey is a settlement of 2,659 people, in the Mid and East Antrim council area. TownRatings uses NISRA’s settlements (the 2015 Settlement Development Limits) as Northern Ireland’s towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from NISRA geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 2,659 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mid and East Antrim
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
- NISRA code
- N11000103
Sources: NISRA Census 2021, data zones best-fitted to the NISRA Settlement Development Limits 2015 (settlement totals from NISRA where it publishes them) · NISRA / Land & Property Services verified residential sales by ward, 2005 to 2024, new and existing dwellings (medians; the 2022 to 2024 headline brought to early-2025 prices with the LPS house price index, which runs to 2026) · Land & Property Services domestic rates paid by council, 2025-26, and Department of Finance rate poundages 2026-27 · data.police.uk street-level crime (Police Service of Northern Ireland), 36 months to August 2026, points inside the settlement boundary · NISRA life expectancy by district electoral area (2022 to 2024) and NISRA Census 2021 general health and disability, adjusted for age · ONS gross disposable household income by council (2022), scaled to household income on England and Wales’s councils · Department of Education examination performance at post-primary schools 2024/25 and school-level enrolment data 2025/26 · 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.