Is Lerwick a good place to live?

Lerwick has an overall liveability score of 61 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 100% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on safety and cost of living. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

Shetland Islands records about 203 crimes per 10,000 people a year (2025/2026), giving Lerwick a safety score of 89 out of 100. Figures are from Scottish Government statistics; Police Scotland does not publish street-level data to police.uk.

Lerwick averages 1,045 sunshine hours and about 1,226 mm of rain a year, giving an outdoor score of 31 out of 100. Summer highs average 14.6°C and winter lows 2.6°C. Based on the Met Office Lerwick station, 3 km away.

Average private rent in the Highland and Islands area is about £726 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Lerwick 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 Shetland Islands is about £187,659 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed -6% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Lerwick scores 89 out of 100 for safety - excellent - measured from annual recorded crime per 10,000 residents across the Shetland 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 Shetland Islands costs about £187,659, which is 4.8 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 91 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 £1,088 a month at 6% over 25 years, £362 more than the £726 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

About 85.1% of premises in Shetland Islands can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 17.7% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 27 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.

78.5% of 16 to 64 year olds in Shetland Islands are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 64 out of 100. UK local authorities typically range from about 62% to 82%. This is a whole-authority figure, so it describes the local labour market rather than any one town within it.

The intermediate zone around this point records 5.31 on Average highest SCQF qualification score of school leavers (2022/23-2024/25), giving an education score of 44 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 Lerwick, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 3.54 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 5.97 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 173 mapped amenities, including 33 places to eat and drink, 64 shops, 58 parks and sports facilities and 4 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 39 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, 3 pharmacies and 2 dentists. 2 hospitals are within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 42 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 220.1 km away, and there are 29 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 29 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.

Lerwick is in the Shetland Islands local authority, Scotland. It falls within the Lerwick North and Bressay 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 Shetland Islands shares them. Education comes from the surrounding intermediate zone, and weather, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point.

Lerwick scores 66 out of 100 on our students profile, which is weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety. That is 5 points above its general score of 61, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Lerwick scores 64 out of 100 on our retirees profile, which is weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living. That is 3 points above its general score of 61, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-for-retirement/.

Lerwick sits in the bottom 19% 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 employment. It is furthest below on housing, broadband and transport. 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 Stornoway (Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland), Kirkwall (Orkney Islands, Scotland) and Peterhead (Aberdeenshire, 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 Shetland 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.