Town

Living in Ardersier: Liveability Score 37/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Ardersier is 37/100, built from 7 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is bills: 71/100 against a national town median of 47/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 14/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

That places it last of the 4 scored places in the IV2 postcode district. It scores 24 points below the IV2 postcode district as a whole, which averages 61/100. That is 13 points below the national benchmark of 50, the bottom quarter of all UK towns and villages. Wider context for the surrounding area: IV2 postcode district.

37
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.

Ardersier scores 37 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Ardersier.
Or compare:
IV2 3AA IV2 4AA IV2 5AA IV2 6AA IV2 7AA IV2 8AB IV2

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
62
Air Quality NO₂ 2.1 · PM2.5 3.9 · PM10 6.3 µg/m³
86
Green Space 8
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 2

Services

Schools
10
1 school in area
1Good
  • Ardersier Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
Healthcare
—
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service174.4 mi
Cumberland Infirmary187.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital192.6 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust146.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryFortrose Medical Practice3.7 mi
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
14
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
8.6%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
8.6%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.3%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 44 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
60
Employment rate67.6%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed67.3%Unemployed1.5%Retired18%Student2.4%Other inactive10.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial33.8%Skilled & technical39.4%Routine & elementary26.8%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications26.1%
Home ownership61.1%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
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 D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
23
Inverness Airport 1.6 mi
Nairn 6.5 mi
Inverness 8.5 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
8
Pubs & Bars Some 2
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 5
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Adequate 6
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Ardersier. 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

Croy (Highland) 40 2.3 mi away ⇄
Rosemarkie 41 3.7 mi away ⇄
Fortrose 47 3.7 mi away ⇄
Newlands of Culloden 0 5.0 mi away ⇄
Avoch 38 5.1 mi away ⇄
Cradlehall 53 6.4 mi away ⇄
Nairn 43 6.6 mi away ⇄
Munlochy 43 8.2 mi away ⇄
Cromarty 51 8.6 mi away ⇄
North Kessock 40 8.7 mi away ⇄
Auldearn 31 8.8 mi away ⇄
Inverness 66 8.9 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Ardersier a nice place to live?

Ardersier has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Ardersier is 37/100, 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 Ardersier?

Among the top-rated schools in Ardersier is Ardersier Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Ardersier in total.

Postcode districts in Ardersier

IV2 61 ⇄

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