Nation
Area reports for Scotland
Reports for Scottish postcodes, towns, cities and council areas.
In short
A Scottish area report scores any postcode, town, city or council area from 0 to 100 across twelve categories, using Scottish Government and UK open data. Our index currently holds 53 scored areas in Scotland, with a median overall score of 70 out of 100. Of the largest Scottish cities in the index, Dundee scores highest at 73 out of 100.
- Score range observed across Scotland: 57 to 77 out of 100.
- Search a full postcode for point-level weather, crime, amenities and air quality.
- Search a council for the area-wide statistics on cost, housing, employment and schools.
- Best scoring major city in Scotland: Dundee on 73 out of 100.
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Covers | Every Scottish postcode, outcode, town, city and council area |
| Categories scored | Twelve, weighted and combined into one overall score out of 100 |
| Crime source | Scottish Government recorded crime, annual rate per 10,000 residents by council |
| Education measure | Average highest SCQF level of school leavers, by intermediate zone |
| Weather source | Met Office HadUK-Grid, multi-year averages for each 1 km square |
| Cost | Free, no sign-up |
| Areas indexed in Scotland | 53 |
| Median overall score | 70 / 100 |
Highest scoring areas in Scotland
| # | Area | Where | Overall | Cost of living | Safety | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Coatbridge | North Lanarkshire, Scotland | 77 | 82 | 46 | — |
| =1 | Airdrie | North Lanarkshire, Scotland | 77 | 82 | 46 | — |
| =1 | Falkirk | Falkirk, Scotland | 77 | 76 | 48 | — |
| =4 | Stranraer | Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland | 76 | 97 | 48 | — |
| =4 | Paisley | Renfrewshire, Scotland | 76 | 83 | 50 | — |
Live from the index and rebuilt daily. A dash means that dataset has not loaded for the area yet, in which case it is excluded from the overall score rather than estimated.
Major cities in Scotland, ranked
Of the major cities we score in Scotland, Dundee comes top on 73 out of 100. Lifestyle and broadband are where cities reliably beat the countryside; housing and cost of living are where they lose it, which is why a city rarely tops the national table above.
| # | City | Where | Overall | Band | Cost of living | Housing | Amenities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundee | Dundee City, Scotland | 73 | Very good | 81 | 76 | — |
| 2 | Inverness | Highland, Scotland | 72 | Very good | 87 | 84 | 72 |
| =3 | Glasgow | Glasgow City, Scotland | 70 | Very good | 55 | 92 | 93 |
| =3 | Aberdeen | Aberdeen City, Scotland | 70 | Very good | 79 | 10 | — |
| 5 | Edinburgh | City of Edinburgh, Scotland | 68 | Good | 46 | 97 | — |
The 5 largest Scottish cities in the index, ranked against each other rather than against the whole country. 8 major Scottish cities are scored in total, and every one of them is linked in the A to Z further down. Cities on the same score are shown as equal (=). A dash means that dataset has not loaded for the city yet, so it is excluded from the overall score rather than estimated. Open any city for the full report.
How Scotland is scored, and where it differs
Scotland is scored from the same twelve categories as the rest of Great Britain, but three of them come from different publishers, and knowing which is the difference between reading a score and trusting it.
Crime is measured differently in Scotland
Police Scotland does not publish to police.uk, so there is no street-level crime feed for Scottish addresses. Scottish safety scores use Scottish Government recorded crime as an annual rate per 10,000 residents at council level. That is a rate per head over a year across a whole council; England and Wales are counted within about a mile of the point over a single month. The two are not the same measurement, so we never rank them against each other in one table.
Scottish school data is finer than anywhere else on the site
Education in Scotland comes from the average highest SCQF qualification level of school leavers, published as a three-year rolling average for intermediate zones of roughly 2,500 to 6,000 residents. That is more local than any other education figure we publish, and more local than the council-level statistics that sit beside it in the same report.
Council areas, not counties
Scotland has 32 council areas and no county tier, so a search for a Scottish council resolves straight to the authority that actually publishes the statistics. Highland and Argyll and Bute cover enormous distances, which means a council-level cost or housing figure there averages across places that feel nothing like each other. Search a full postcode or outcode in those areas rather than the council name.
Weather in Scotland
Scottish reports read the Met Office 1 km climate grid for the exact square kilometre, which matters more here than anywhere: the east and west coasts differ sharply, with the east materially sunnier and drier at the same latitude, and height changes the picture within a few miles.
Datasets specific to Scotland
| Source | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Scottish Government recorded crime | Annual recorded crime per council, used for the Scottish safety score. |
| Scottish Government school leaver attainment | Average highest SCQF level, by intermediate zone. |
| National Records of Scotland | Population and household statistics underlying per-head rates. |
Everything else comes from the UK-wide sources listed on our data sources page. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Towns and cities in Scotland
Show every town and city in Scotland (23 more)
Full area reports, scored from open government data. All 53 indexed Scottish areas, listed A to Z. Any other place, postcode or council in Scotland can be searched above.
Council areas in Scotland
A council report covers the whole local authority rather than a point inside it, which is the right read for the statistics published at that level: house prices, earnings, employment and council-wide crime. A town report answers what it is like to live at one spot; a council report answers what the area as a whole looks like on paper.
32 Scottish council and unitary areas have a report; the 30 listed here A to Z, and the other 2 in the towns and cities list above. Point-level categories such as weather, amenities and air quality are measured from the council's main population centre, and each report says so.
Questions about Scotland area reports
Why is Scottish crime data different from the rest of the UK?
Police Scotland does not publish to police.uk, which is the street-level feed used for England and Wales. Scottish safety scores therefore use Scottish Government recorded crime as an annual rate per 10,000 residents at council level. Because a council-wide rate over a year and a one-mile count over one month are different measurements, Scottish and English safety scores are never ranked in a single table.
How local is a Scottish area report?
Weather, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured around the exact point you search. Education uses intermediate zones of roughly 2,500 to 6,000 residents. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment, broadband and safety are council-area statistics, so every place in the same council shares those figures.
Does the score account for Scottish income tax bands?
The area scores do not, because they measure the place rather than your pay. The affordability calculator is a UK-wide estimate using standard lending multiples, so treat its take-home figure as indicative for a Scottish taxpayer rather than exact.
Why do Highland and Argyll and Bute scores feel wrong for my village?
Both councils cover very large and very varied areas, and council-level statistics average across all of it. Search a full postcode or outcode instead: weather, transport, amenities and air quality are then measured around your actual location, and education for the surrounding intermediate zone, rather than for the authority as a whole. Scottish crime stays a council-wide figure either way.
What is the best city to live in Scotland?
Of the largest Scottish cities we score, Dundee ranks highest with an overall liveability score of 73 out of 100. The full order is Dundee 73, Inverness 72, Glasgow 70, Aberdeen 70, Edinburgh 68, each out of 100. Scores combine cost of living, affordability, housing, safety, weather, amenities and more from open government data, so the ranking reflects those categories rather than reputation or size.
Which major cities in Scotland does TrackPostcode.UK score?
The largest Scottish cities ranked on this page are Dundee, Inverness, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Every other town, city, council area and postcode in Scotland can be searched directly, and the full list of indexed places is above.
Does TrackPostcode.UK cover my council in Scotland?
We publish a report for 32 Scottish council and unitary areas, every one linked on this page. A council report reads the statistics published at local-authority level - house prices, earnings, employment and council-wide crime - across the whole authority, while point-level categories such as weather and nearby amenities are measured from its main population centre. Any council not listed can still be searched by name, and every postcode inside it has its own report.