First Presbyterian Church · Grade II listed · Photo: Alf Beard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Killyleagh’s story
Killyleagh in pictures
The Historic Environment Division lists 33 buildings inside Killyleagh’s settlement.
Explore the history →
KillyleaghNewry, Mourne and Down
2,787 people live in this town in Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland. The average domestic rates bill is £1,364 a year.
5 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,787
Census 2021 · Newry, Mourne and Down council
Median home
£169K
107 sales in 2022–24
Median age
42.4
18% are 65+ · Newry, Mourne and Down 18%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · Northern Ireland 32%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · Northern Ireland 18%
TownGrade
B+
#5 of 10 in Newry, Mourne and Down
Is Killyleagh a good place to live?
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Homes are affordable: the median home sold for £168,900, 3.1 years of area income. Killyleagh’s overall grade of B+ puts it better than two thirds of UK towns, #5 of 10 in Newry, Mourne and Down and #41 of 63 in Northern Ireland. The catch is health — life expectancy is 79.5 for men and 82.9 for women. Walkability is weaker too (D): 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The rest of its grades are middling: B for safety and B− for schools.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry (LPS), 2022 to 2024 at early-2025 prices · life expectancy, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · 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).
What makes Killyleagh stand out
The 3 things Killyleagh does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade B+; 4.9 times the typical town in England and Wales for its size
HED’s Historic Buildings Record, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (Northern Ireland’s towns 18%)
0% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Rates vs council tax, average bill
Rates
£1,364 a year
The average domestic rates bill in Newry, Mourne and Down, 2026–27: 27% 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.
How Killyleagh grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within Northern Ireland), ordered by how far Killyleagh is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Cost of livingRates £1,364 a yearA+Open →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesDOpen →HealthHealth outcomes are among the weakest comparedC−Open →SafetyAhead of most towns comparedBOpen →SchoolsGCSE results beat 49% 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 Killyleagh.
HousingCost of living grade A+
Killyleagh is graded an A+ for cost of living grade
23% of households are private tenants. Home ownership stands at 56% of households. The social rented sector houses nearly a fifth of households.
£169Kmedian sale
Median sale price · 2022 to 2024, at early-2025 prices
Killyleagh£169K
Typical UK town£277K
56%
of households own their home · Northern Ireland 59%
23%
rent privately · Northern Ireland 19%
£1,364
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 Killyleagh, 2022 to 2024, brought to early-2025 prices and weighted by sales.
SchoolsB−
Killyleagh’s schools fall behind 51% of Northern Ireland towns on results
Below is its only school. The town’s primary school has 90 pupils. Its one school is below.
B−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 90 | – |
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.The Schools page →
Work & commute
The car carries 91% of commuters in Killyleagh, more than in Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns or across Northern Ireland’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 15% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.3. Of the commuters living in Killyleagh, 10% work in the town itself. Working mainly from home: 15% of workers, near Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns (15%) and lower than Northern Ireland’s towns (18%).
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot6%
Bus2%
15%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
D
Walkability: more walkable than 13% of UK towns
NISRA Census 2021, method of travel to work · OGL
Health
In Killyleagh, 76% say their health is good or very good
At the census, 26% of people here had a disability, near both Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns (26%) and Northern Ireland’s towns (26%).
76%good or very good healthC−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 76%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 8%
| Census 2021 | Killyleagh | Newry, Mourne and Down | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 77% | 77% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.1% | 8.6% | 8.7% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 26% | 26% |
79.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2022–24)
82.9
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 · 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.
Safety
Burglary and damage are rarer in Killyleagh than in Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns or across Northern Ireland’s towns: 7.5 per 1,000 residents a year
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 15.9 reports per 1,000, below Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns (31.8) and Northern Ireland’s towns (20.7) alike. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 92 recorded crimes inside Killyleagh’s settlement, and 29 reports of anti-social behaviour. Of all the crimes, 48% were violence and sexual offences.
20violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 68% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual44
Shoplifting16
Damage & arson11
Other theft8
Drugs5
Other crime4
Burglary2
Vehicle crime1
Anti-social29
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
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
92
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.
History
More buildings in Killyleagh are listed than in Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns or Northern Ireland’s towns: 118 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Every one of Killyleagh’s 33 listed buildings sits at Grade B, the most common listing.
33listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · HED
Grade A0
Grade B+0
Grade B33
0
scheduled monuments
0
historic parks, gardens and demesnes
118
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
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Killyleagh than in Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns or across Northern Ireland’s towns: 26% of adults
18% of residents are 65 or over, near Newry, Mourne and Down’s towns (18%) and higher than Northern Ireland’s towns (17%). Under-15s account for 18% of the population. The middle age in Killyleagh is 42.4.
42.4median age
KillyleaghNewry, Mourne and DownNorthern Ireland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications24%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across Northern Ireland, 51% of residents are women.
| Killyleagh | Newry, Mourne and Down | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 19% | 19% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 26% | 25% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Degree level | 26% | 30% | 32% |
NISRA Census 2021 · Newry, Mourne and Down and Northern Ireland: all residents of their settlements · Women and men: whole data zones, which approximate the town’s boundary · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Castle Ward and 4 more in and around Killyleagh
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Killyleagh. Best known first.
Castle · National TrustCastle Ward5 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleKillyleagh Castle100 m outside town, to the northPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustGibbs Island2.6 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionHoster Tully's Funeral Jetty4.8 km outside town, to the southwestCastleCastleWinterfell Castle Courtyard5 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 (2)
- Castle Ward: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Killyleagh Castle: Peter Clarke Original uploader was Peter Clarke at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Killyleagh
12pages on Killyleagh
The big questions
Landmarks
33 listed buildings in Killyleagh.
Photo credits
St. Mary's R C Church: Photo: Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Second Killyleagh Presbyterian Church: Photo: Kenneth Allen · CC BY-SA 2.0
Famous people from Killyleagh
8 notable people were born in Killyleagh.
T
Terry CochraneNorthern Irish footballer · born 1953A
Alan MorrisonBritish racing driver · born 1968Photo credits
David Healy: thetelf, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Thomas L. Young: US gov, Public domain · Robert Lowry: Brant & Fuller (Madison, WI), publisher., Public domain
Killyleagh’s neighbours
The nearest settlements, from NISRA’s 2015 boundaries. See them on the map →
DownpatrickSaintfieldBallygowanBallynahinchComberKillyleagh
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killyleagh | 2,787 | — | B+ | A+ | B | C− |
| Downpatrick | 11,545 | 5.5 | B | A+ | D | C− |
| Saintfield | 3,588 | 8.2 | A− | A+ | A | C |
| Ballygowan | 3,138 | 9.2 | A | A+ | A | C+ |
| Ballynahinch | 6,164 | 9.7 | B− | A+ | C | C− |
| Comber | 9,529 | 11 | A | A+ | A− | C |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Killyleagh
How many listed buildings are there in Killyleagh?
That is 4.9 times the typical town in England and Wales for its size.
Is Killyleagh expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale in 2022 to 2024, at early-2025 prices, was £168,900, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. On cost of living it is the 16th most affordable of 63 Northern Ireland towns.
How much are the rates in Killyleagh?
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 Newry, Mourne and Down is about £1,364 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 Killyleagh
Town in Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland
Killyleagh is a settlement of 2,787 people, in the Newry, Mourne and Down 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
- 2,787 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down
- Nation
- Northern Ireland
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- NISRA code
- N11000284
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.