Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3,492 people call this town in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber home. 50% of households own their home outright.
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. On cost of living it is strong — homes sell for a median £215,250, about 4.5 times local household income. Jobs and pay hold up well: the mean household earns £59,326 a year. The trade-off is schools (C−) — primary results beat 20% of towns in England; secondary results beat 25% of towns in England. Overall, that makes a B, good for #39 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Nationally, it does better than 56% of UK towns.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
The 3 things Kirkheaton 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 Kirkheaton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 9 buildings inside Kirkheaton’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
22% 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 Kirkheaton.
16% of residents are children under 15. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.2% of residents, below both West Yorkshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). At 48.8, the median resident of Kirkheaton sits in the middle of the age range.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Kirkheaton | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The town has one school, shown below. GCSE results at the 6 secondary schools within 3 km: 38% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 42.1. At the 18 primary schools within 3 km, 55% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkheaton Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 335 | C− |
6% of households live in social housing. Private renters make up just over one in ten households, lower than both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%). The median sale, £215,250, comes from 168 standard sales inside Kirkheaton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £360,000 | 33 |
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | 74 |
| Terraced | £165,000 | 59 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Of the commuters living in Kirkheaton, 4% work in the town itself. 86% of commuters drove, above West Yorkshire’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. This West Yorkshire town counts 0.2 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Homes saw 9.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, lower than West Yorkshire’s towns (12.7) and near England’s towns (9.4). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 166 crimes and 6 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Kirkheaton’s built-up area. 52% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
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 heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%). Per 10,000 residents, Kirkheaton counts 26 listed buildings, close to West Yorkshire’s towns (25) and below England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
There is no GP practice in Kirkheaton: the nearest is 1 miles off. The nearest A&E to Kirkheaton is Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, 3.6 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.8% of the town.
| Census 2021 | Kirkheaton | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Kirkheaton. Best known first.
MuseumTolson Museum1.5 km outside town, to the southwest
Art galleryHuddersfield Library and Art Gallery3.2 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumDewsbury Bus Museum4 km outside town, to the northeast
ZooPonderosa Zoo4.6 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumHeritage Quay2.9 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric siteVictoria Tower4 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
9 listed buildings in Kirkheaton.
The Beaumont Arms Public House and Adjoining Barns to East: Photo: John Slater · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Monument 10 Yards to East of Church of St John to Victims of Mill Fire at Colne Bridge: Photo: Betty Longbottom · CC BY-SA 2.0
7 notable people were born in Kirkheaton.
Wilfred Rhodes: George Beldam, Public domain · George Hirst: George Beldam, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkheaton | 3,492 | — | B | A− | C | B− |
| Lepton | 4,950 | 1.9 | B+ | B+ | B− | B |
| Mirfield | 19,614 | 2 | B− | B+ | C | C+ |
| Huddersfield | 141,683 | 2.8 | C | A | D | D |
| Grange Moor | 1,118 | 2.9 | — | B+ | B+ | B |
| Kirkburton | 4,033 | 3.3 | A− | B+ | B | B+ |
| Liversedge | 17,519 | 3.7 | C+ | A | D | C− |
| Brighouse | 33,159 | 4.2 | B− | A− | D | C |
Grange Moor has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 75% of towns in England, and primary results trail 80% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kirklees council.
It has more crime per resident than most places its size: 68% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £215,250, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £165,000, semi-detached houses £240,000 and detached houses £360,000.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
Kirkheaton is a built-up area of 3,492 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.