Town

Living in Balmedie: Liveability Score 39/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Balmedie is 39/100, built from 7 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is bills: 77/100 against a national town median of 47/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is broadband: 10/100 versus a median of 60/100.

Balmedie places 2nd of 3 in the AB23 postcode district. The AB23 district averages 50/100, putting Balmedie 11 points below its own postcode area. That is 11 points below the national benchmark of 50, the middle half of all UK towns and villages. Wider context for the surrounding area: AB23 postcode district.

39
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.

Balmedie scores 39 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Balmedie.
Or compare:
AB23 8AA AB23 9BF AB23

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
63
Air Quality NO₂ 3.6 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 8.2 µg/m³
83
Green Space 15
Parks Adequate 2
Sports Pitches Adequate 3
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 2

Services

Schools
8
1 school in area
1Good
  • Balmedie SchoolOther · inspected 2011
    Good
Healthcare
—
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service134.1 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital151.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital157.3 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust102.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryScotstown Medical Group5 mi
GP capacity1,373 patients per GP

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

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)43.9%
available across Aberdeenshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 51 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
81
Employment rate68.1%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed68.9%Unemployed2.2%Retired19.3%Student2.5%Other inactive7.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial45.4%Skilled & technical35.5%Routine & elementary19.1%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications37.3%
Home ownership81.6%
Among the least-deprived 25% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
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
24
Dyce 5.9 mi
Aberdeen 7.5 mi
Kintore 11 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
15
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Some 3
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Some 2
Takeaways Some 2
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Balmedie. 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

Potterton 30 1.9 mi away ⇄
Kingseat (Aberdeenshire) 39 3.9 mi away ⇄
Newmachar 30 5.1 mi away ⇄
Newburgh (Aberdeenshire) 38 5.2 mi away ⇄
Aberdeen 71 6.8 mi away ⇄
Pitmedden 35 7.7 mi away ⇄
Ellon 48 8.2 mi away ⇄
Kingswells 51 8.9 mi away ⇄
Blackburn (Aberdeenshire) 35 9.2 mi away ⇄
Blacktop 51 9.8 mi away ⇄
Cults 49 10 mi away ⇄
Tarves 37 10 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Balmedie a nice place to live?

Balmedie has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Balmedie is 39/100, 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 Balmedie?

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

Postcode districts in Balmedie

AB23 50 ⇄

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