Town

Living in Carstairs: Liveability Score 34/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Carstairs scores 34/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Bills is where Carstairs most outperforms the national norm: 72/100 against a median of 47/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is broadband: 28/100 versus a median of 60/100.

That makes it the 9th highest-scoring of the 11 places in the ML11 postcode district. It scores 7 points below the ML11 postcode district as a whole, which averages 41/100. That sits 16 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the bottom quarter of the towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: ML11 postcode district.

34
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.

Carstairs scores 34 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Carstairs.
Or compare:
ML11 0AA ML11 1AJ ML11 7AA ML11 8AA ML11 9AA ML11

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
75
Air Quality NO₂ 2.428 · PM2.5 4.469 · PM10 8.327 µg/m³
83
Green Space 56
Parks Adequate 3
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 2

Services

Schools
24
1 school in area · 2 within 4km
1Outstanding
  • Carstairs Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Outstanding

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

Healthcare
7
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary62.2 mi
Community Paramedic Service74.5 mi
Hexham General Hospital80.3 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust55.3 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
Nearest GP surgeryMedwyn Medical Practice2.6 mi
GP capacity1,577 patients per GP

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

Broadband
28
Full fibre (FTTP)63.4%
available across South Lanarkshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
26%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
26%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 25 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
43
Employment rate59.7%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed60%Unemployed2.7%Retired22.1%Student3.1%Other inactive12.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial37.7%Skilled & technical35.4%Routine & elementary26.9%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications27%
Home ownership69.1%
Among the most-deprived 36% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
72
Council tax South Lanarkshire · 2025-26
A £919
B £1,073
C £1,226
D £1,379
E £1,812
F £2,241
G £2,701
H £3,379
Energy South Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
18
Carstairs 0.9 mi
Lanark 3.5 mi
Carluke 6.6 mi
J10 M74 8.3 mi
J11 M74 8.8 mi
J9 M74 9.3 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
10
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Some 2
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Carstairs. 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

Carstairs Junction 37 1.1 mi away ⇄
West End (South Lanarkshire) 0 1.5 mi away ⇄
Cleghorn 42 2.2 mi away ⇄
Carnwath 35 2.7 mi away ⇄
Lanark 50 3.4 mi away ⇄
Kirkfieldbank 39 4.5 mi away ⇄
Forth 37 4.9 mi away ⇄
Thankerton 35 5.4 mi away ⇄
Braidwood 42 5.6 mi away ⇄
Carluke 56 6.1 mi away ⇄
Crossford (South Lanarkshire) 37 6.9 mi away ⇄
Symington (South Lanarkshire) 32 7.5 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Carstairs a nice place to live?

Carstairs has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Carstairs is 34/100, 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 Carstairs?

Among the top-rated schools in Carstairs is Carstairs Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Carstairs in total.

Postcode districts in Carstairs

ML11 41 ⇄

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