Town

Living in Buckhaven: Liveability Score 49/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Buckhaven scores 49/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 61/100 against a national town median of 18/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 17/100 versus a median of 67/100.

That makes it the 3rd highest-scoring of the 6 places in the KY8 postcode district. On the national picture that lands Buckhaven in the middle half of all the places we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the KY8 postcode district.

49
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.

Buckhaven scores 49 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Buckhaven.
Or compare:
KY8 1AA KY8 2AA KY8 3AB KY8 4AA KY8 5AA KY8 6AA KY8 9AW KY8

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
69
Air Quality NO₂ 3.6 · PM2.5 4.1 · PM10 6.9 µg/m³
84
Green Space 35
Parks Ample 16
Sports Pitches Adequate 3
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 5

Services

Schools
44
5 schools in area · 12 within 4km
5Good
  • Aberhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Buckhaven Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Denbeath Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Hyndhead SchoolOther · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Methilhill Primary & Community SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
    Good

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

Healthcare
61
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service73.9 mi
Cumberland Infirmary87.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital90.7 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust48.7 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
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
43
Full fibre (FTTP)69.2%
available across Fife
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
98.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
98.2%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.2%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 130 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
17
Employment rate49.6%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed49.6%Unemployed4.1%Retired25.8%Student3.9%Other inactive16.6%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial24.9%Skilled & technical30.7%Routine & elementary44.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications16.3%
Home ownership51.4%
Among the most-deprived 17% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
62
Council tax

Council tax data not yet available for this area.

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
43
Cameron Bridge 1.1 mi
Leven 1.6 mi
Markinch 4.2 mi
J4 M90 14.4 mi
J5 M90 14.4 mi
J4 M90 14.4 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
39
Pubs & Bars Adequate 4
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Some 3
Takeaways Some 1
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Buckhaven. 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

Methil 56 0.9 mi away ⇄
Windygates 41 1.3 mi away ⇄
East Wemyss 41 1.8 mi away ⇄
Leven (Fife) 54 1.9 mi away ⇄
Kennoway 47 2.2 mi away ⇄
Coaltown of Wemyss 38 2.9 mi away ⇄
Coaltown of Balgonie 49 3.8 mi away ⇄
Star 34 4.1 mi away ⇄
Lower Largo 39 4.2 mi away ⇄
Markinch 55 4.5 mi away ⇄
Thornton (Fife) 43 4.6 mi away ⇄
Glenrothes 59 5.8 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Buckhaven a nice place to live?

Buckhaven has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Buckhaven is 49/100, 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 Buckhaven?

Among the top-rated schools in Buckhaven are Aberhill Primary School, Buckhaven Primary School and Denbeath Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 5 rated schools in Buckhaven in total.

Postcode districts in Buckhaven

KY8 52 ⇄

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