Town

Living in Cardenden: Liveability Score 47/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Cardenden is 47/100, built from 7 categories. Broadband is where Cardenden most outperforms the national norm: 95/100 against a median of 60/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 25/100 versus a median of 67/100.

Cardenden places 5th of 6 in the KY5 postcode district. On broadband specifically, Cardenden sits 38 points above the KY5 district figure of 57/100. That puts Cardenden in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: KY5 postcode district.

47
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.

Cardenden scores 47 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Cardenden.
Or compare:
KY5 0AA KY5 5AG KY5 8AA KY5 9AA KY5

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
71
Air Quality NO₂ 4.5 · PM2.5 4.3 · PM10 8.2 µg/m³
82
Green Space 50
Parks Ample 8
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Adequate 4

Services

Schools
33
3 schools in area · 7 within 4km
2Good1Requires Improvement
  • Denend Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good
  • St Ninian's R C Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Cardenden Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Requires Improvement

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

Healthcare
34
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service77.5 mi
Cumberland Infirmary86.5 mi
Hexham General Hospital92.6 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust54.8 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
Nearest GP surgeryWallsgreen Medical Practice0.5 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
95
Full fibre (FTTP)69.2%
available across Fife
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
96.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
96.7%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 50 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
25
Employment rate56.6%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed56.8%Unemployed2.8%Retired24%Student2.3%Other inactive14.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial29.4%Skilled & technical32.6%Routine & elementary38%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications19.4%
Home ownership57.5%
Among the most-deprived 26% 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
41
Cardenden 0.2 mi
Lochgelly 2.3 mi
Kirkcaldy 3.9 mi
J4 M90 5.4 mi
J4 M90 5.5 mi
J5 M90 5.9 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
30
Pubs & Bars Some 2
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 5
Retail Shopping Some 3
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Cardenden. 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

Bowhill 48 0.7 mi away ⇄
Lochgelly 60 2.3 mi away ⇄
Kinglassie 34 2.4 mi away ⇄
Ballingry and Lochore 49 3.0 mi away ⇄
Kirkcaldy 63 3.6 mi away ⇄
Cowdenbeath 55 4.0 mi away ⇄
Thornton (Fife) 43 4.4 mi away ⇄
Leslie 55 4.4 mi away ⇄
Glenrothes 59 4.7 mi away ⇄
Kelty 49 4.9 mi away ⇄
Burntisland 56 5.5 mi away ⇄
Kinnesswood 36 5.7 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Cardenden a nice place to live?

Cardenden has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Cardenden is 47/100, 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 Cardenden?

Among the top-rated schools in Cardenden are Denend Primary School and St Ninian's R C Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Cardenden in total.

Postcode districts in Cardenden

KY5 51 ⇄

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