Town

Living in Aberdeen: Liveability Score 71/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Aberdeen is 71/100, built from 8 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 89/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Notably, nothing falls below 46/100. Most UK towns have at least one category in the 30s or worse.

That sits 21 points above the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the top 5% of the towns and villages we score. Also scoring 80 or better: broadband (87), transport (83), lifestyle (81) and environment (80). Wider context for the surrounding area: AB10 postcode district.

71
OUT OF 100
Good
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

Loading map…

Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Aberdeen scores 71 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Aberdeen.
Or compare:
AB10 1AB AB10 6AA AB10 7AA AB10 AB11 AB12 AB15

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
80
Air Quality NO₂ 6.9 · PM2.5 4.4 · PM10 7.5 µg/m³
80
Green Space 81
Parks Ample 75
Sports Pitches Ample 94
Allotments Ample 21
Golf Courses Ample 6
Tennis Courts Ample 26
Bowling Greens Ample 23
Playgrounds Ample 157

Services

Schools
46
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 50 in area
4Outstanding36Good7Requires Improvement3Inadequate
  • Airyhall SchoolOther · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Cornhill SchoolOther · inspected 2024
    Outstanding
  • Fernielea SchoolOther · inspected 2012
    Outstanding
  • Middleton Park SchoolOther · inspected 2016
    Outstanding
  • Abbotswell SchoolOther · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Aberdeen Grammar SchoolSecondary · inspected 2018
    Good
  • Aberdeen School for the DeafOther · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Ashley Road SchoolOther · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Bramble Brae SchoolOther · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Broomhill SchoolOther · inspected 2023
    Good
Healthcare
89
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service123.3 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital140.7 mi
Hexham General Hospital146.4 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust96.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
19 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,373 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
87
Full fibre (FTTP)91.9%
available across Aberdeen City
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
95%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
95.3%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.8%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 4,840 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
58
Employment rate60.4%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed60.4%Unemployed4.3%Retired19%Student7.1%Other inactive9.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial39.8%Skilled & technical29.9%Routine & elementary30.2%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications36.8%
Home ownership53.4%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Aberdeen City · 2025-26
A £1,091
B £1,272
C £1,454
D £1,636
E £2,150
F £2,659
G £3,204
H £4,008
Energy North Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
83
Aberdeen 1.7 mi
Dyce 3.9 mi
Portlethen 6.8 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
81
Pubs & Bars Ample 136
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 269
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 183
Retail Shopping Ample 1103
Takeaways Ample 217
Fitness Ample 57

Places like Aberdeen Pro

Pick the categories you want to beat. Pro members see the most similar settlements that score higher in all of them.

Find somewhere like Aberdeen, but with a higher score in …

ProSimilar settlements is a Pro featureUpgrade to Pro

House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Aberdeen. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Kingswells 51 3.4 mi away ⇄
Cults 49 3.5 mi away ⇄
Blacktop 51 3.5 mi away ⇄
Bieldside 0 4.8 mi away ⇄
Milltimber 42 5.1 mi away ⇄
Potterton 30 5.1 mi away ⇄
Marywell 34 5.4 mi away ⇄
Westhill 45 5.8 mi away ⇄
Portlethen 49 6.4 mi away ⇄
Peterculter 41 6.5 mi away ⇄
Blackburn (Aberdeenshire) 35 6.7 mi away ⇄
Balmedie 39 6.8 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Aberdeen a nice place to live?

Yes, Aberdeen is a nice place to live. Our liveability score for Aberdeen is 71/100, placing it among one of the better-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Aberdeen?

Among the top-rated schools in Aberdeen are Airyhall School, Cornhill School and Fernielea School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 50 rated schools in Aberdeen in total.

Postcode districts in Aberdeen

AB10 74 ⇄
AB11 71 ⇄
AB12 57 ⇄
AB15 68 ⇄
AB16 70 ⇄
AB21 46 ⇄
AB22 64 ⇄
AB23 50 ⇄
AB24 73 ⇄
AB25 76 ⇄
AB99 56 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

Get a personalised score for any UK postcode, tailored to what matters most to you.

Score my postcode