Plenty to like here, at a price. Ilkley ranks #4 of 91 in West Yorkshire, with an A overall. It comes out better than 92% of UK towns. People here tend to be in good health: men here can expect to live to 82.3, women to 85.7. School results are strong: primary results beat 92% of towns in England; secondary results beat 92% of towns in England. Housing is expensive (C−): homes sell for a median £403,000, about 8.8 times local household income. Hazard risk is weaker too (D) — 5.9% of homes face a high or medium risk of river or sea flooding.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Ilkley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ilkley.
Who lives here
Ilkley is a graduates’ town: 53% hold a degree, more than in both West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
Those aged 15 to 24 account for nearly one in ten residents. People 65 and over make up 30% of the town, above West Yorkshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The age that splits Ilkley in two is 51.3.
51.3median age
IlkleyWest YorkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level53%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenEnglandMen
About 90 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA
Ilkley’s schools outperform 95% of towns in England on results
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 56.6, and 58% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. All Saints' CofE Primary School’s results beat 97% of schools in England like it. At the town’s 4 primary schools, 72% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 5 schools →
Health
Just 4.2% of people in Ilkley say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in both West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
Self-reported good health: 84% of Ilkley’s residents. The nearest A&E to Ilkley is Airedale General Hospital, 6.1 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 84% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Only 30% of Ilkley’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in both West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 48% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The census found 27% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 1.4% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%). At the census, 48% of workers worked mainly from home.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
History
Ilkley keeps more of its old housing than West Yorkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 31% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 3 of them. Conservation areas cover 37% of Ilkley’s land, below West Yorkshire’s towns (96%) but above England’s towns (7%). This West Yorkshire town has 56 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 3 Grade I, 3 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C−
Most households in Ilkley own their home: 77%, more than in both West Yorkshire’s towns and England’s towns
Private renters make up 15% of households. Social housing holds 7% of households, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). 795 standard sales inside Ilkley’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £403,000.
£403Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ilkley£403K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£785,000
178
Semi-detached
£425,000
170
Terraced
£369,500
194
Flat or maisonette
£260,000
253
77%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£745
average private rent a month, Bradford council area
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 Ilkley than in West Yorkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 18.1 per 1,000 residents a year
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 625 offences in Ilkley and 67 cases of nuisance behaviour. Of all the crimes, 36% were violence and sexual offences. Per 1,000 residents, 12.7 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded a year.
18.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 84% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual222
Shoplifting117
Burglary67
Other theft58
Public order47
Damage & arson34
Vehicle crime32
Other crime18
Anti-social67
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.
18.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
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.
Nearby attractions
Ilkley Toy Museum and 5 more in and around Ilkley
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ilkley. Best known first.
Georgie Henley: Khedara Ariyaratne, CC BY 2.0 · Guy Sigsworth: Chris.elms, CC BY 3.0 · Alan Titchmarsh: Phil Guest https://www.flickr.com/photos/philip-rosie (cropped by Heligoland), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Andrew Jones: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0 · Edward Maufe: Basher Eyre, CC BY-SA 2.0
East Morton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ilkley
Who lives in Ilkley?
An older town. At the 2021 Census, 30% of residents were 65 or over and 29% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 15% were under 15.
How many listed buildings are there in Ilkley?
That is 1.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Heathcote, subsidiary buildings and structures, and entrance walls. It also has 5 scheduled monuments.
Are schools in Ilkley good?
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 92% of towns in England, and primary results beat 92% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
Does Ilkley flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Ilkley
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Ilkley is a built-up area of 14,852 people, in the Bradford 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
14,852 (Census 2021)
Council
Bradford
County
West Yorkshire
Region
Yorkshire and The Humber
Area
1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²)
ONS code
E63000639
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.
