Town

Living in Bo'ness: Liveability Score 57/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Bo'ness scores 57/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Measured against other towns, healthcare stands out most: 60/100 where the typical UK town scores 18/100. Notably, nothing falls below 45/100. Most UK towns have at least one category in the 30s or worse.

On healthcare specifically, Bo'ness sits 24 points above the EH49 district figure of 36/100. Broadband (87) also clears 80/100. That puts Bo'ness in the top quarter of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: EH49 postcode district.

57
OUT OF 100
Average
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.

Bo'ness scores 57 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Bo'ness.
Or compare:
EH49 6AA EH49 7AA EH49 9BA EH49 EH51

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 6.4 · PM2.5 4.6 · PM10 8.1 µg/m³
79
Green Space 55
Parks Ample 17
Sports Pitches Ample 10
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 8

Services

Schools
45
6 schools in area · 9 within 4km
6Good
  • Bo'ness AcademySecondary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Bo'ness Public SchoolOther · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Deanburn Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Grange Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Kinneil Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • St Mary's RC Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good

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

Healthcare
60
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary80.5 mi
Community Paramedic Service81.1 mi
Hexham General Hospital92.5 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust64.3 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
2 GP surgeries in area 3 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
87
Full fibre (FTTP)66.2%
available across Falkirk
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
93.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
93.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 370 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
54
Employment rate59.6%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed59.8%Unemployed2.2%Retired25.5%Student2.4%Other inactive10.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial33.9%Skilled & technical32.7%Routine & elementary33.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications24.7%
Home ownership65.7%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax Falkirk · 2025-26
A £1,051
B £1,227
C £1,402
D £1,577
E £2,072
F £2,563
G £3,088
H £3,864
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
47
Linlithgow 2.4 mi
Polmont 4.7 mi
Falkirk Grahamston 7.1 mi
J3 M9 2.5 mi
J4 M9 3.1 mi
J4 M9 3.8 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
45
Pubs & Bars Adequate 5
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 10
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 11
Retail Shopping Ample 43
Takeaways Adequate 9
Fitness Adequate 3

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Bo'ness. 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

Linlithgow 60 2.4 mi away ⇄
Culross 37 3.3 mi away ⇄
Torryburn and Newmills 43 3.5 mi away ⇄
High Valleyfield 44 3.5 mi away ⇄
Grangemouth 53 4.0 mi away ⇄
Polmont 56 4.2 mi away ⇄
Charlestown 42 4.3 mi away ⇄
Cairneyhill 41 4.4 mi away ⇄
Brightons, Redding and Maddiston 58 5.1 mi away ⇄
Limekilns 41 5.1 mi away ⇄
Kincardine 45 5.2 mi away ⇄
Oakley and Comrie 45 5.4 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Bo'ness a nice place to live?

Bo'ness is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Bo'ness is 57/100, placing it among an 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 Bo'ness?

Among the top-rated schools in Bo'ness are Bo'ness Academy, Bo'ness Public School and Deanburn Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 6 rated schools in Bo'ness in total.

Postcode districts in Bo'ness

EH49 54 ⇄
EH51 58 ⇄

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