Town

Living in Alness: Liveability Score 45/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Alness is 45/100, built from 8 categories. Measured against other towns, broadband stands out most: 91/100 where the typical UK town scores 60/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 39/100 versus a median of 67/100.

On broadband specifically, Alness sits 43 points above the IV17 district figure of 48/100. Below 30/100: lifestyle (17) and healthcare (29). That puts Alness in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the IV17 postcode district.

45
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.

Alness scores 45 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Alness.
Or compare:
IV17 0AA IV17 IV18

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
64
Air Quality NO₂ 2.3 · PM2.5 4.1 · PM10 6.6 µg/m³
85
Green Space 17
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 14

Services

Schools
34
4 schools in area · 5 within 4km
4Good
  • Alness AcademySecondary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Bridgend Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Coulhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Obsdale Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
29
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service187.4 mi
Cumberland Infirmary199.5 mi
Hexham General Hospital205.5 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust158.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
1 GP surgery in area
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
91
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
97.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
97.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 138 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
39
Employment rate57.7%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed58%Unemployed3.2%Retired21.8%Student2.8%Other inactive14.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial27%Skilled & technical33.3%Routine & elementary39.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications20.3%
Home ownership52.8%
Among the most-deprived 36% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Highland · 2025-26
A £1,018
B £1,188
C £1,357
D £1,527
E £2,006
F £2,481
G £2,990
H £3,741
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
33
Alness 0.2 mi
Invergordon 3 mi
Dingwall 9.4 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
17
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 5
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 4
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 Alness. 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

Evanton 32 3.3 mi away ⇄
Invergordon 46 3.3 mi away ⇄
Culbokie 46 7.2 mi away ⇄
Cromarty 51 8.3 mi away ⇄
Nigg Ferry 0 8.4 mi away ⇄
Rosemarkie 41 9.0 mi away ⇄
Fortrose 47 9.3 mi away ⇄
Dingwall 41 9.3 mi away ⇄
Avoch 38 9.3 mi away ⇄
Munlochy 43 10 mi away ⇄
Tain 51 11 mi away ⇄
Maryburgh 33 11 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Alness a nice place to live?

Alness has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Alness is 45/100, 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 Alness?

Among the top-rated schools in Alness are Alness Academy, Bridgend Primary School and Coulhill Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 4 rated schools in Alness in total.

Postcode districts in Alness

IV17 42 ⇄
IV18 39 ⇄

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