Town

Living in Alva: Liveability Score 48/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Alva scores 48/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Healthcare is where Alva most outperforms the national norm: 49/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 40/100 versus a median of 67/100.

That puts Alva in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: FK12 postcode district.

48
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.

Alva scores 48 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Alva.
Or compare:
FK12 5AA FK12

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
72
Air Quality NO₂ 4.013 · PM2.5 4.302 · PM10 7.521 µg/m³
82
Green Space 48
Parks Adequate 4
Sports Pitches Ample 6
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 7

Services

Schools
38
2 schools in area · 17 within 4km
2Good
  • Alva AcademySecondary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Alva Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good

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

Healthcare
49
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary92.6 mi
Community Paramedic Service93.4 mi
Hexham General Hospital105.1 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust74.3 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
1 GP surgery in area 4 within 4km
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
76
Full fibre (FTTP)86.9%
available across Clackmannanshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
96.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
96.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.8%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 145 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
40
Employment rate55%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed55.3%Unemployed2%Retired29.3%Student2.6%Other inactive10.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial35.5%Skilled & technical32.2%Routine & elementary32.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications28.2%
Home ownership67.7%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax Clackmannanshire · 2025-26
A £1,063
B £1,240
C £1,417
D £1,594
E £2,094
F £2,590
G £3,122
H £3,905
Energy South 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
Alloa 2.5 mi
Stirling 5.7 mi
Bridge of Allan 6.1 mi
J11 M9 6.7 mi
J10 M9 6.7 mi
J10 M9 6.8 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
41
Pubs & Bars Adequate 4
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 4
Retail Shopping Some 3
Takeaways Adequate 4
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Alva. 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

Menstrie 43 1.8 mi away ⇄
Tullibody 46 2.3 mi away ⇄
Alloa 51 2.3 mi away ⇄
Tillicoultry 50 2.3 mi away ⇄
Coalsnaughton 48 2.4 mi away ⇄
Clackmannan 46 3.8 mi away ⇄
Throsk 0 3.8 mi away ⇄
Fallin 49 4.4 mi away ⇄
Dollar 39 4.9 mi away ⇄
Bridge of Allan 54 5.5 mi away ⇄
Cowie 42 5.6 mi away ⇄
Stirling 59 5.7 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Alva a nice place to live?

Alva has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Alva is 48/100, 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 Alva?

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

Postcode districts in Alva

FK12 47 ⇄

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