Town

Living in Banchory: Liveability Score 46/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Banchory scores 46/100 overall, across 8 scored 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.

No other settlement in the AB31 postcode district scores higher. Banchory leads all 4. It scores 7 points above the AB31 postcode district as a whole, which averages 39/100. Environment (84) and economic health (82) sit at 80/100 or above. For the surrounding area, see AB31 postcode district.

46
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.

Banchory scores 46 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Banchory.
Or compare:
AB31 4AA AB31 5AA AB31 6AA AB31 9AL AB31

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
84
Air Quality NO₂ 2.5 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 6.1 µg/m³
85
Green Space 80
Parks Ample 7
Sports Pitches Adequate 4
Allotments None
Golf Courses Ample 3
Tennis Courts Some 2
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 14

Services

Schools
30
3 schools in area
1Outstanding2Good
  • Hill of Banchory SchoolOther · inspected 2011
    Outstanding
  • Banchory AcademySecondary · inspected 2012
    Good
  • Banchory Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
Healthcare
36
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service122.5 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital141.1 mi
Hexham General Hospital144.6 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust90.8 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
10
Full fibre (FTTP)43.9%
available across Aberdeenshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
12.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
12.2%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
96.8%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 206 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
82
Employment rate56.1%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed56.3%Unemployed1.7%Retired31.2%Student2.6%Other inactive8.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial50.6%Skilled & technical28.5%Routine & elementary20.9%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications46%
Home ownership76.8%
Among the least-deprived 17% 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
37
Stonehaven 11.8 mi
Portlethen 13.7 mi
Kintore 14 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
40
Pubs & Bars Adequate 3
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 13
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 5
Retail Shopping Ample 58
Takeaways Some 3
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Banchory. 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

Inchmarlo 0 2.4 mi away ⇄
Landerberry 0 4.7 mi away ⇄
Drumoak 36 5.8 mi away ⇄
Torphins 34 5.9 mi away ⇄
Kincardine O'Neil 31 8.1 mi away ⇄
Lumphanan 37 8.9 mi away ⇄
Peterculter 41 9.0 mi away ⇄
Sauchen 36 9.1 mi away ⇄
Westhill 45 10 mi away ⇄
Milltimber 42 10 mi away ⇄
Auchenblae 35 11 mi away ⇄
Bieldside 0 11 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Banchory a nice place to live?

Banchory has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Banchory is 46/100, 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 Banchory?

Among the top-rated schools in Banchory are Hill of Banchory School, Banchory Academy and Banchory Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Banchory in total.

Postcode districts in Banchory

AB31 39 ⇄

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