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Living in Alford (Aberdeenshire): Liveability Score 44/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Alford (Aberdeenshire) comes out at 44/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Bills is where Alford (Aberdeenshire) most outperforms the national norm: 71/100 against a median of 47/100 across UK towns. Against the wider AB33 district average of 33/100, that is 11 points above.

Below 30/100: transport (14), lifestyle (19) and schools (29). That puts Alford (Aberdeenshire) in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. For the surrounding area, see AB33 postcode district.

44
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
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.

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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.

Alford (Aberdeenshire) scores 44 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Alford (Aberdeenshire).
Or compare:
AB33 8AA AB33

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
67
Air Quality NO₂ 1.6 · PM2.5 4.3 · PM10 7.1 µg/m³
85
Green Space 25
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches Adequate 3
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 6

Services

Schools
29
2 schools in area
2Good
  • Alford AcademySecondary · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Alford Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good
Healthcare
36
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service136.2 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital155.1 mi
Hexham General Hospital157.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust104.5 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
1 GP surgery 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
74
Full fibre (FTTP)43.9%
available across Aberdeenshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
88.6%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
88.6%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 80 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
67
Employment rate61.6%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed61.1%Unemployed2.6%Retired25.2%Student2.4%Other inactive8.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial41.9%Skilled & technical33.8%Routine & elementary24.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications34.8%
Home ownership72%
Among the least-deprived 21% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Aberdeenshire · 2025-26
A £1,022
B £1,192
C £1,363
D £1,533
E £2,014
F £2,491
G £3,002
H £3,756
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
14
Insch 7.9 mi
Inverurie 13 mi
Kintore 13.3 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
19
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Some 3
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Adequate 11
Takeaways Some 1
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Alford (Aberdeenshire). 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

Monymusk 37 6.7 mi away ⇄
Lumphanan 37 7.2 mi away ⇄
Insch 38 8.2 mi away ⇄
Sauchen 36 8.3 mi away ⇄
Rhynie 33 8.4 mi away ⇄
Tarland 39 9.2 mi away ⇄
Torphins 34 9.4 mi away ⇄
Kincardine O'Neil 31 9.6 mi away ⇄
Kemnay 42 9.7 mi away ⇄
Aboyne 44 11 mi away ⇄
Clovenstone 0 12 mi away ⇄
Inverurie 50 13 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Alford (Aberdeenshire) a nice place to live?

Alford (Aberdeenshire) has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Alford (Aberdeenshire) is 44/100, placing it among a below-average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Alford (Aberdeenshire)?

Among the top-rated schools in Alford (Aberdeenshire) are Alford Academy and Alford Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Alford (Aberdeenshire) in total.

Postcode districts in Alford (Aberdeenshire)

AB33 33 ⇄

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