Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber has a population of 4,982. On the way to work, 14% walk, cycle or take a bus or train.
A strong record with one exception. Taken together, its subjects give Holmfirth an A− overall, better than 77% of UK towns. That places it #15 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Its strongest subject is health — men here can expect to live to 82.3, women to 85.8. Add schools to its strengths (A−): primary results beat 63% of towns in England; secondary results beat 96% of towns in England. What counts against it is safety — 33.6 violent and sexual offences and 9.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Against UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 73%. At a median £290,000, a home costs 6.1 times the yearly income of households in the Kirklees council area. It lags on hazard risk as well (C): 1.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Holmfirth does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Holmfirth is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 61 buildings inside Holmfirth’s built-up area.
38% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Holmfirth.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
None of the 61 listed buildings reaches Grade II* or Grade I; all are Grade II. Of Holmfirth’s land, 26% lies in conservation areas, below West Yorkshire’s towns (96%) but above England’s towns (7%). The town has 122 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
At the 11 primary schools within 3 km, 64% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one school is below. Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 56.2, and 69% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upperthong Junior and Infant SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 209 | B+ |
14% of residents have a disability, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Asked at the census, 86% of residents of Holmfirth said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to Holmfirth is Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, 6.1 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; nearly nine in ten patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Holmfirth | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Police recorded 259 crimes inside Holmfirth’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 39 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for nearly half of recorded crime. There were 5.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (7.1) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
37% of workers worked mainly from home, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (28%) and England’s towns (31%). Driving is how 84% of commuters got to work at the census. Household income averages £60K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Social renters account for 5% of households. Half of the 207 standard sales inside Holmfirth’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £290,000. Private rents average £782 a month across the Kirklees council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £460,000 | 67 |
| Semi-detached | £297,500 | 38 |
| Terraced | £212,000 | 85 |
| Flat or maisonette | £150,000 | 17 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The 15-to-24 age group: 10%, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Children under 15 make up 16% of residents. The median resident of Holmfirth is 46.8 years old. Just over a fifth of residents have reached 65.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Holmfirth | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 45% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
61 listed buildings in Holmfirth.
The Picturedrome: Photo: Betty Longbottom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of St John: Photo: Betty Longbottom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Church of the Holy Trinity: Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 7 Miles Post 50 Yards South of Junction with Washpit New Road: Photo: C Minto · CC BY-SA 2.0
16 notable people were born in Holmfirth.
Jessica Gunning: JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gabriel Cullaigh: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick, CC BY-SA 3.0 · William Senior: Swiss Studios, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holmfirth | 4,982 | — | A− | B− | C | A |
| Upperthong | 1,094 | 0.7 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Holmbridge | 1,219 | 1.3 | — | B | B− | A |
| Scholes (near Hade Edge) | 1,888 | 1.3 | — | B+ | C | A |
| Honley | 14,399 | 2 | A− | B− | B− | A− |
| Meltham | 8,325 | 3 | B− | B | C | B− |
| Netherton (Kirklees) | 3,151 | 3.3 | B− | B+ | C+ | C+ |
| Shepley | 2,515 | 3.5 | A | B | A | A− |
Upperthong, Holmbridge and Scholes (near Hade Edge) have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 96% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 63%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kirklees council.
Burglary was rare, with 6 reports in the year.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Holmfirth is a built-up area of 4,982 people, in the Kirklees 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
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.