Is Kirkwall a good place to live?

Kirkwall has an overall liveability score of 70 out of 100 (very good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 80% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on cost of living and housing. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

Orkney Islands records about 245 crimes per 10,000 people a year (2025/2026), giving Kirkwall a safety score of 82 out of 100. Figures are from Scottish Government statistics; Police Scotland does not publish street-level data to police.uk.

The weather section shows annual sunshine, rainfall and typical temperatures for Kirkwall from Met Office climate data for the location.

Average private rent in the Highland and Islands area is about £726 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Kirkwall a cost-of-living score of 87 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

The average property price in Orkney Islands is about £236,740 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +4.4% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Kirkwall scores 82 out of 100 for safety - very good - measured from annual recorded crime per 10,000 residents across the Orkney Islands council area (Scottish Government statistics). That puts it in the top 1% of every area in our index. A safety score is a comparison with other areas rather than a guarantee about a street. The figure covers the whole council, so it says nothing about differences between its towns.

The average property in Orkney Islands costs about £236,740, which is 6.1 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 77 out of 100. Mainstream lenders usually cap borrowing at around four to four and a half times income, so a ratio above that generally means a larger deposit, a second income or a cheaper property than the local average. With a ten per cent deposit, repaying the rest costs about £1,373 a month at 6% over 25 years, £647 more than the £726 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 83.6% of premises in Orkney Islands can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 25.4% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 29 out of 100 (Ofcom Connected Nations). These are council-area availability figures - the share of premises able to order each service, not the speed any single line achieves - so check the exact address with the Ofcom broadband checker before committing to it.

The intermediate zone around this point records 5.57 on Average highest SCQF qualification score of school leavers (2022/23-2024/25), giving an education score of 55 out of 100. Each nation publishes its own attainment measure and they are not interchangeable, so education scores compare within England, Scotland or Wales and not across them. Scottish attainment is resolved to the intermediate zone around this point, which is finer than the council average used in England and Wales.

For the 1 km grid square containing Kirkwall, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 4.09 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 3.15 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 100 out of 100; an area meeting both guideline levels scores 100. These are modelled background concentrations for the square, not a reading taken at the roadside.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 193 mapped amenities, including 27 places to eat and drink, 106 shops, 40 parks and sports facilities and 8 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 40 out of 100. Counts come from OpenStreetMap and are measured at this exact location rather than averaged across the council, so they reflect how well served this particular spot is. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 3 GP surgeries, 2 pharmacies and 2 dentists. 1 hospital is within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 38 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

The nearest railway station is Thurso Rail Station, about 54.4 km away, and there are 42 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 35 out of 100. Stops come from the DfT NaPTAN dataset and are counted for this exact point, so the figure measures access rather than how frequently anything runs.

Kirkwall is in the Orkney Islands local authority, Scotland. It falls within the Kirkwall East ward and the Orkney and Shetland parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and crime figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside Orkney Islands shares them. Education comes from the surrounding intermediate zone, and weather, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point.

Kirkwall scores 72 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is close to its general score of 70, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Kirkwall scores 71 out of 100 on our families profile, which is weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare. That is close to its general score of 70, so the weighting neither flatters nor penalises this area. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-families/.

Kirkwall sits in the top 30% of the 539 UK areas we have scored. The median area in the index scores 67 out of 100. It is furthest above the benchmark for its nation on safety and education. It is furthest below on broadband, transport and affordability. Categories are compared against the area's own nation where the samples allow it, because crime and school attainment are measured differently either side of the border.

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Bideford (Torridge, South West, England), Aberystwyth (Ceredigion, Wales) and Lerwick (Shetland Islands, Scotland). Similarity is the average gap across every category both areas have data for, with immediate neighbours excluded, so these are places that score alike rather than places that look alike or sit nearby.

Weather, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment, broadband and crime come from official statistics for the Orkney Islands council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the surrounding intermediate zone of roughly 2,500 to 6,000 residents. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.