TrackPostcode.UK

Area report

Is Skegness a good place to live?

East Lindsey, East Midlands, England

65 / 100
GoodOverall score

Report completeness: 90%. Score is based on the categories with data loaded for this area.

67Remote workers
61Families
68Retirees
62Young professionals
70Students

In short

Skegness scores 65 out of 100 overall, which places it below the median of the 539 UK areas we have scored. Its biggest lead is affordability, scoring 83 against the English median of 64; its biggest shortfall is employment, 34 against 61.

  • Nearest scored area: Boston, about 19 miles away, scoring 75.
  • Median overall score across the 539 areas in our index: 67 out of 100.
  • Report completeness 90 per cent: categories without data are excluded rather than estimated.

How detailed is this report?

Open data is published at different levels of detail, and this report always uses the most granular level available rather than pretending otherwise.

  • Point-level for this exact location: Crime (recorded within about one mile of this exact point); Lifestyle (amenities within about 2 km of this exact point); Healthcare (facilities within about 2 km, hospitals within about 8 km); Transport (stops within 800 m and the nearest railway station); Air quality (the 1 km grid cell containing this point).
  • Council-level, covering all of East Lindsey: Cost of living, Affordability, Housing, Employment, Broadband, Education. Every postcode and town in the council shares these figures.
  • Not scored here: Weather (the nearest Met Office historic station, Waddington, is 57 km away), too far to describe this location, so it is left out of the overall score.

Research this area further with trusted open data: police.uk street-level crime map, HM Land Registry sold prices, ONS local area profiles, Ofcom broadband checker. This report is open-source intelligence: everything is built from published government and public datasets you can check yourself.

83 / 100
Very goodAffordability score
£216,315Average price2026-06
5.5xPrice to earningsvs UK median full-time salary
£39,039Earnings assumedONS ASHE, updated annually

With a ten per cent deposit, the average Skegness home needs borrowing of 5 times a single UK median full-time salary of £39,039, beyond the 4.5 times most lenders will go to, so it takes a second income or a larger deposit. Try your own figures below.

£
£

Guidance only, using standard lending multiples and typical outgoings. Not a mortgage offer or financial advice. TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority; always seek independent professional advice before financial decisions.

60 / 100
GoodHousing score
£216,315Average price2026-06
+7.4%Annual change

UK House Price Index for East Lindsey, all property types. Steady growth scores best; sharp falls and overheating both score lower.

Crime and safety

Source: police.uk
47 / 100
FairSafety score
141Violent crime
80Anti-social behaviour
11Vehicle crime
8Burglary
34Shoplifting
424All recorded

All recorded crime by type

CategoryRecorded (2026-08)
Violent crime141
Anti social behaviour80
Public order53
Criminal damage arson40
Shoplifting34
Other theft20
Drugs12
Vehicle crime11
Possession of weapons10
Burglary8
Robbery6
Other crime5
Theft from the person3
Bicycle theft1

In 2026-08, 424 crimes were recorded within about a mile of this point in Skegness - a busy level of recorded crime, typical of urban centres. The most common headline category was violent crime. City and town centres naturally record more incidents than residential streets, so compare like for like.

Recorded crime within about one mile, 2026-08. Busy centres record more than quiet suburbs because more people pass through them than live there, so compare similar types of place. How safety is scored.

Weather and outdoors

Source: Met Office

No weather score for Skegness. The nearest Met Office historic station, Waddington, is 57 km away, beyond the 40 km we accept, so its climate would describe somewhere else. Weather is left out of the overall score here rather than borrowed. Why.

63 / 100
GoodBroadband score
91.3%Superfast availabilitypremises with 30 Mbit/s or more
61.4%Gigabit availabilitypremises with 1 Gbit/s capable

Ofcom Connected Nations coverage for East Lindsey: the share of premises that can get each service, not the share that has taken it up.

39 / 100
ChallengingEducation score
46.5Attainment 8 average score202425
Council levelMeasured atshared by the whole local authority

Local authority average, key stage 4, state-funded schools. Source: Department for Education. Each nation publishes its own measure, so this compares within England only. How education is scored.

50 / 100
FairHealthcare score
4GP surgerieswithin about 2 km
4Pharmacieswithin about 2 km
5Dentistswithin about 2 km
1Hospitalswithin about 8 km

Counted from OpenStreetMap around this exact point; a nearby GP and pharmacy carry the most weight. How it is scored. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

34 / 100
ChallengingEmployment score
67.4%Employment rateaged 16-64
NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026Survey period

ONS Annual Population Survey for East Lindsey, via NOMIS. Most UK councils fall between about 62% and 82% employment.

90 / 100
ExcellentEnvironment score
6.64 µg/m³PM2.5 annual meanWHO guideline: 5 µg/m³
5.96 µg/m³NO2 annual meanWHO guideline: 10 µg/m³
2024Data year

Defra modelled background air for the 1 km grid cell around this point (Crown copyright), scored against the WHO 2021 guidelines.

79 / 100
Very goodTransport score
52Stops within 800 mbus, tram and metro
0.2 kmNearest railway stationSkegness Rail Station
Point-levelMeasured atthis exact location

DfT NaPTAN stops around this exact point. Twelve or more stops within 800 m, and a station within 1 km, each earn full marks.

Cost of living

Source: ONS
89 / 100
ExcellentCost of living score
£695Average monthly rentall property types
Jun-26Data period
21%Rent as share of payof UK median full-time gross pay

Average private rent, from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents. Rent stands in for cost of living because it is the largest living cost and the one that varies most between places.

Lifestyle and amenities

Source: OpenStreetMap
58 / 100
GoodLifestyle score
485Amenities nearbywithin about 2 km
131 + 270Food/drink + shops
50Parks and sport spots

What is nearby

CategoryCount
Food and drink131
Shops270
Health services14
Schools and learning16
Parks and sport50
Culture and community4

Counted from OpenStreetMap within about 2 km of this exact point; private gardens are not counted. Contains OpenStreetMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who Skegness suits

Of the 4 profiles we score, Skegness suits students best, at 70 out of 100.

Skegness is a markedly better fit for some households than others. It ranks in the top 38% of the 539 areas we have scored for students, and the bottom 22% for young professionals. That gap comes from the same twelve categories weighted differently, which is why one overall score can never answer the question on its own.

How Skegness ranks for each type of household
HouseholdScoreStandingWhat it weights
Students70top 38%Weighted towards cost of living, lifestyle, transport and safety.
Retirees68top 43%Weighted towards healthcare, safety, environment and cost of living.
Remote workers67bottom 31%Weighted towards broadband, cost of living, environment and weather.
Families61bottom 27%Weighted towards schools, safety, housing and healthcare.
Young professionals62bottom 22%Weighted towards employment, lifestyle, transport and broadband.

The same twelve scores, weighted per household. Set your own weights in the relocation quiz.

Stands out on

  • Cost of living
  • Affordability
  • Environment

Worth checking carefully

  • Employment
  • Education

Built only from the categories with data; 1 is still to load for this area.

How Skegness compares

Skegness compared with every other area we have scored
CategorySkegnessEngland medianUK medianvs England medianUK position
Cost of living897172+18top 6%
Affordability836468+19top 29%
Safety475252-5bottom 28%
Employment346159-27bottom 6%
Housing608383-23bottom 16%
Transport797575+4top 31%
Broadband638888-25bottom 4%
Environment908991+1bottom 46%
Healthcare505452-4bottom 46%
Education3939400bottom 46%
Lifestyle585654+2top 39%

Medians and positions are across the 539 areas in our index. Safety and education are measured differently in each nation, so read those two rows against the England median only.

What Skegness does well. Measured against everywhere else in the index, the standouts are affordability (83, 19 above the median) and cost of living (89, 18 above the median).

Where it falls short. Employment (34, 27 below), broadband (63, 25 below) and housing (60, 23 below).

Near Skegness, and places like it

Of the 6 scored areas within about 50 miles of Skegness, 4 score higher: Boston (75), Grimsby (73), Sleaford (70) and Spalding (69). Skegness scores 65. Boston is ahead mainly on housing (+39), while Skegness keeps the advantage on cost of living (+7).

Scored areas within about 50 miles of Skegness
AreaDistanceWhereOverallBand
Boston19 milesBoston, East Midlands, England75Very good
Louth21 milesEast Lindsey, East Midlands, England63Good
King's Lynn27 milesKing's Lynn and West Norfolk, East of England, England63Good
Spalding32 milesSouth Holland, East Midlands, England69Good
Sleaford33 milesNorth Kesteven, East Midlands, England70Very good
Grimsby34 milesNorth East Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and The Humber, England73Very good

Straight-line distances, so roads are longer. Any place not listed can be searched directly.

Areas with the most similar scoring profile to Skegness
AreaWhereOverallAverage gap
BirkenheadWirral, North West, England676.9
GainsboroughWest Lindsey, East Midlands, England677
Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme, West Midlands, England687.1
CarmarthenCarmarthenshire, Wales707.9
KidsgroveNewcastle-under-Lyme, West Midlands, England668.1

Average score gap across every category both areas have, so smaller is closer. Neighbouring areas are left out.

Crime in Skegness: what kind, not just how much

Source: police.uk

What is distinctive about the mix here: public order makes up 13 per cent of recorded crime here against 7 per cent typically. Shares are the useful comparison because they are unaffected by how busy an area is, which is the thing that otherwise dominates a raw crime count.

Recorded crime in Skegness by type, August 2026
Offence typeCountShareTypical shareDifference
Violence and sexual offences14133.3%34.0%-0.7
Anti-social behaviour8018.9%17.9%+1.0
Public order5312.5%7.4%+5.1
Criminal damage and arson409.4%7.0%+2.4
Shoplifting348.0%10.5%-2.5
Other theft204.7%5.6%-0.9
Drugs122.8%2.5%+0.3
Vehicle crime112.6%2.9%-0.3

424 offences recorded within about a mile of this point in August 2026, from police.uk. Counts are of offences reported to the police, so they reflect both crime and the willingness to report it. "Typical share" is the median across the areas in our index that have a breakdown, which is England and Wales only: Police Scotland does not publish to police.uk.

What a home in Skegness actually costs

Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI

The average home in Skegness is £216,315, 20 per cent below the median of the areas we have scored. With a ten per cent deposit of £21,632, repaying the rest costs about £1,254 a month, £559 more than renting at the local average of £695, and needs a household income of about £43,300 to borrow.

The cost of buying in Skegness
MeasureFigure
Average property price£216,315 (June 2026)
Change over 12 months+7.4%, rising
Against our index median20% below the £270,569 median across every area we have scored
10% deposit£21,632
15% deposit£32,447
Price to earnings5.5 times UK median full-time earnings of £39,039
Monthly repayment£1,254 on a £194,683 mortgage (10% deposit, 6% over 25 years)
Against renting£559 more than the £695 average monthly rent
Income to borrow itAbout £43,300 a year at 4.5 times income

Council-wide average across all property types; the multiple uses UK median full-time earnings (April 2025 (ONS ASHE)). Illustrative arithmetic, not a mortgage assessment or financial advice; TrackPostcode.UK is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Air quality in Skegness, against the limits

Source: Defra modelled background maps

Fine particulates, at 6.6, sit inside the UK 2040 target of 10 but above the World Health Organization guideline of 5, as in most of Britain. Nitrogen dioxide, at 6.0, is well inside the UK limit of 40 and inside the WHO guideline of 10.

Modelled background air quality in Skegness, micrograms per cubic metre
PollutantSkegnessUK objectiveWHO guidelineStanding
Fine particulates (PM2.5)6.6105Inside the UK target, above the WHO guideline
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)6.04010Inside both

Neighbourhood background levels from the Defra 1 km model; readings beside a busy road are higher. UK figures are the legal limit (NO₂) and 2040 target (PM2.5); WHO figures are health guidelines, not law.

Questions about Skegness

Is Skegness a good place to live?

Skegness has an overall liveability score of 65 out of 100 (good) on TrackPostcode.UK, based on 90% of categories currently loaded. It scores best on cost of living and broadband. The score combines cost, affordability, safety, weather and more from open government data.

What is the crime rate in Skegness?

About 424 crimes were recorded within roughly a mile of Skegness in 2026-08 (police.uk), giving a safety score of 47 out of 100. Town and city centres naturally record more than residential streets.

What is the weather like in Skegness?

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

How expensive is it to live in Skegness?

Average private rent in the East Lindsey area is about £695 a month (Jun-26, ONS), giving Skegness a cost-of-living score of 89 out of 100. Use the affordability calculator to estimate what you could comfortably afford here.

What are house prices like in Skegness?

The average property price in East Lindsey is about £216,315 (2026-06, HM Land Registry). Prices changed +7.4% over the year. See the affordability section for how that compares to local earnings.

Is Skegness safe?

Skegness scores 47 out of 100 for safety - fair - measured from recorded crime within about a mile of this point for the latest published month (police.uk). That puts it in the bottom 28% of every area in our index. A safety score is a comparison with other areas rather than a guarantee about a street. Town and city centres record more crime than residential suburbs largely because more people pass through them, so compare places of a similar type before drawing a conclusion.

Can I afford to buy a house in Skegness?

The average property in East Lindsey costs about £216,315, which is 5.5 times earnings against assumed full-time earnings of £39,039 a year (ONS ASHE), giving an affordability score of 83 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 £1,254 a month at 6% over 25 years, £559 more than the £695 average local rent. The affordability calculator on this page estimates it from your own salary and savings.

How fast is broadband in Skegness?

About 91.3% of premises in East Lindsey can get superfast broadband of 30 Mbit/s or more, and 61.4% can get a gigabit-capable connection, giving a broadband score of 63 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.

What is the job market like in Skegness?

67.4% of 16 to 64 year olds in East Lindsey are in work (NOMIS latest, retrieved Sep 2026, ONS Annual Population Survey via NOMIS), giving an employment score of 34 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.

Are the schools good in Skegness?

East Lindsey records 46.5 on Attainment 8 average score (202425), giving an education score of 39 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. Attainment is published for the whole council or county rather than for a school catchment, so check individual schools with the inspectorate before deciding.

What is the air quality like in Skegness?

For the 1 km grid square containing Skegness, fine particulates (PM2.5) average 6.64 µg/m³ against a World Health Organization guideline of 5 and nitrogen dioxide averages 5.96 µg/m³ against a guideline of 10 (2024, Defra Pollution Climate Mapping, Crown copyright). That gives an environment score of 90 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.

What is there to do in Skegness?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 485 mapped amenities, including 131 places to eat and drink, 270 shops, 50 parks and sports facilities and 4 cultural and community venues, giving a lifestyle score of 58 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.

Are there GPs and dentists near Skegness?

Within about two kilometres of this point there are 4 GP surgeries, 4 pharmacies and 5 dentists. 1 hospital is within about eight kilometres. That gives a healthcare score of 50 out of 100. Facilities are counted from OpenStreetMap and the score describes how close services are, not waiting times, capacity or clinical quality.

Does Skegness have good transport links?

The nearest railway station is Skegness Rail Station, about 0.2 km away, and there are 52 bus, tram or metro stops within an 800 metre walk, giving a transport score of 79 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.

Which council area is Skegness in?

Skegness is in the East Lindsey local authority, East Midlands, England. It falls within the Scarbrough & Seacroft ward and the Boston and Skegness parliamentary constituency. Cost of living, housing, affordability, employment, broadband and education figures in this report are published at local-authority level, so every postcode and town inside East Lindsey shares them. Weather, crime, amenities, healthcare, transport and air quality are measured for this point instead.

Is Skegness a good place for students?

Skegness scores 70 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 65, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-places-for-students/.

Is Skegness a good place to retire?

Skegness scores 68 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 65, because this profile weights the twelve categories differently. Every area we score is ranked on this basis at /best-for-retirement/.

How does Skegness compare with the rest of England?

Skegness sits in the bottom 37% 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 affordability and cost of living. It is furthest below on employment, broadband and housing. 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.

What are the best places to live near Skegness?

Of the areas we have scored within about 50 miles of Skegness, the highest are Boston (75 out of 100, about 19 miles away), Grimsby (73 out of 100, about 34 miles away) and Sleaford (70 out of 100, about 33 miles away). Skegness itself scores 65. Distances are straight-line from this point, and each of those names links to its own full report.

Which places are most similar to Skegness?

Across the twelve category scores, the closest matches elsewhere in Britain are Birkenhead (Wirral, North West, England), Gainsborough (West Lindsey, East Midlands, England) and Newcastle-under-Lyme (Newcastle-under-Lyme, West Midlands, England). 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.

What area does this report cover?

Weather, crime, local amenities, healthcare access, transport access and air quality are measured for this exact point. Cost of living, affordability, housing, employment and broadband come from official statistics for the East Lindsey council area, so nearby postcodes and towns in the same council share those figures. Education comes from the local authority, or from the county where attainment is only published at county level. The "How detailed is this report" section explains each level.