These elections were the first held under revised boundaries for the district electoral areas, reflecting population growth largely in the Belfast hinterland. More significantly, they were the first local goverrnment elections to be contested by Sinn Féin; although the 1981 contest had taken place in the midst of the hunger strikes, the party did not decide to contest elections until the 1982 Assembly came along. SF took 59 local government seats, a total they would not exceed until 1997. Most of their support came from sweeping up the votes of many independent Nationalist councillors and crushing the Irish Independence Party; in this election there was surprisingly little erosion of the SDLP vote. The UUP opened up a lead over the DUP, winning all five new seats in Lisburn and all four in North Down; Alliance slipped back a bit further from what was already a low point, and other minor groups popped up here and there. See spreadsheet archive.

Results by Party

Party	1985 Results	1985 Percentages	1985 Councillors
UUP	188,497	29.5%	188
SDLP	113,967	17.8%	102
DUP	155,297	24.3%	156
SF	75,686	11.8%	59
Alliance	45,038	7.0%	33
WP	10,415	1.6%	5
IIP	7,459	1.2%	3
PUP	3,612	0.6%	2
UPUP	3,139	0.5%	2
Prot U	2,970	0.5%	1
NILP	1,285	0.2%	1
LPNI	1,029	0.2%	-
Newtownabbey Labour Party	792	0.1%	1
ULDP	782	0.1%	-
Lab TU	556	0.09%	-
Ind DU	429	0.07%	-
Ecology Party	387	0.06%	-
IRSP	276	0.04%	-
CPI	245	0.04%	-
All Night Party	235	0.04%	-
Ind Rep	187	0.03%	-
People's Democracy	131	0.02%	-
Ind WP	113	0.02%	-
Ulster Liberal Party	35	0.005%	-
Ind Lab	30	0.005%	-
Ind U*	8,780	1.3%	8
N/Ind N	7,597	1.2%	6
Ind	10,297	1.6%	9

* Ind U covers 5,363 votes cast for "Independent Unionists", of whom 4 were elected; 2,930 votes cast for candidates described simply as "Unionists", 3 of whom were elected; and 487 votes for a "United Unionist" elected in Cookstown.

Results by Council

Council	UUP	DUP	SDLP	SF	Alliance	WP	IIP	Others	Seats
Antrim	8+	5+	4++	1+	1	0	0-	0	19++++
Ards	6+++	8+	0-	0	3	0	0	1 NILP, 1 UPUP, 1 Ind	20+++
Armagh	11+++	3	7	1+	0	0	0	0	22++
Ballymena	6+	15++	1+	0	0	0	0	1 Ind	23++
Ballymoney	6+++	6-	2	1+	0-	0	0	1 Ind	16
Banbridge	8	3-	3+	0	0	0	0	1 Ind	15
Belfast	14+	11----	6	7+++++++	8+	1+	0	2 Ind U, 1 PUP, 1 Prot U	51
Carrickfergus	7++++	3----	0	0	3	0	0	1 PUP, 1 Ind	15
Castlereagh	8+++	10+	0	0	3-	0	0	0	21++
Coleraine	10++	6	2	0	2+	0	0	1 Ind	21+
Cookstown	3-	5++	3--	4++++	0	0	0	1 "United Unionist"	16+
Craigavon	11++	6-	5	2++	0-	2	0	0	26+
Derry	5+	5	14	5+++++	0	0	1---	0	30+++
Down	7+	3	10++	2++	0-	1	0	0	23+++
Dungannon	8	3	5++	4++++	0	0	0-	2 Ind Nats	22++
Fermanagh	8	2	4	8++++++++	0	0	1---	0	23+++
Larne	6++	6	0	0	2-	0	0	1 Ind Nat	15
Limavady	7+	2	4-	2++	0	0	0-	0	15
Lisburn	13+++++	8--	2	2++	3+	0	0	0	28+++++
Magherafelt	3+	4	4-	4++++	0	0	0-	0	15
Moyle	2--	3+	4-	2++	0	0	0	2 Ind U's, 2 Inds	15
Newry and Mourne	7+	2	14--	5+++++	0	0	1---	1 Ind Nat	30
Newtownabbey	10+	9++++	0	0	2-	0	0	2 Ind U's, 1 Newtownabbey Labour, 1 Ind	25++++
North Down	8++++	6+	0	0	7+	0	0	2 UPUP, 1 Ind U	24++++
Omagh	4	4	5	6++++++	0--	0	1----	1 Ind	21+
Strabane	3	4	3-	3+++	0	0	0	2 Ind Nats	15
Total	189	142	102	59	34	4	4	32	562

Parliamentary Constituencies