Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber has a population of 8,880.
More weak spots than strong ones. Where it falls short is health: life expectancy is 74.8 for men and 79.5 for women. With a D− overall, South Kirkby is better than 2% of UK towns. Its strongest subject is cost of living — the median home sold for £170,000, 3.8 years of area income. Safety is weaker too (D−) — 63.8 violent and sexual offences and 22.7 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 98%. It lags on schools as well: primary results beat 3% of towns in England; secondary results beat 21% of towns in England. Jobs and pay trail most towns (D): the mean household earns £38,307 a year.
Figures: prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · life expectancy and income, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far South Kirkby is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things South Kirkby does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 7 buildings inside South Kirkby’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
11% 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 South Kirkby.
The share aged 15 to 24 is 11%. 20% are under 15, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Ages in South Kirkby split evenly at 39.5: half are older, half younger.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| South Kirkby | West Yorkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 26% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 32% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 16% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · West Yorkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
46% of pupils at the town’s 2 primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Ark Northfield Primary School’s results beat 95% of schools in England like it. One of its 3 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. GCSE results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: 37% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 41.6.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ark Northfield Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 348 | A+ |
The nearest A&E to South Kirkby is Barnsley Hospital, 7.5 miles away. 25% of residents have a disability, higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). Self-reported good health: three quarters of the town’s residents. 2 GP practices serve the town; four in five patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | South Kirkby | West Yorkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.9% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 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.
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 1,029 crimes and 109 reports of anti-social behaviour inside South Kirkby’s built-up area. There were 11 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both West Yorkshire’s towns (6.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 46% of recorded crime.
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.
South Kirkby counts 7 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I. 11% of its homes were built before 1919, below West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Its listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
13% rent privately, below West Yorkshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Households that own their home make up 56%. Private rents average £806 a month across the Wakefield council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £254,595 | 75 |
| Semi-detached | £167,000 | 164 |
| Terraced | £125,000 | 61 |
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 13% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 15% of commuters travelled at the census. Of the commuters living in South Kirkby, 12% work in the town itself. There are 0.9 jobs in South Kirkby for each resident in work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
10 notable people were born in South Kirkby.
Town in West Yorkshire, England
South Kirkby is a built-up area of 8,880 people, in the Wakefield 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Kirkby | 8,880 | — | D− | B | D− | D− |
| South Elmsall | 11,187 | 1.4 | D | B+ | D− | D |
| Hemsworth | 9,177 | 1.8 | D | B | D− | D |
| Brierley | 2,714 | 2.4 | C− | B− | C+ | D− |
| Grimethorpe | 5,065 | 2.4 | C− | A− | D− | D− |
| Upton | 6,332 | 2.7 | D | B+ | D | C− |
| Great Houghton | 2,489 | 2.8 | — | B+ | D | D− |
| South Hiendley | 1,750 | 3 | — | B | C+ | D |
Great Houghton and South Hiendley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 79% of towns in England, and primary results trail 97% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). South Kirkby has 3 state schools; places are handled by Wakefield council.
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £170,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £125,000, semi-detached houses £167,000 and detached houses £254,595.
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.