Town

Living in Castle Douglas: Liveability Score 44/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Castle Douglas is 44/100, built from 8 categories. Healthcare is where Castle Douglas most outperforms the national norm: 54/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 51/100 versus a median of 67/100.

No other settlement in the DG5 postcode district scores higher. Castle Douglas leads all 4. On healthcare specifically, Castle Douglas sits 15 points above the DG5 district figure of 39/100. Below 30/100: schools (21), transport (23) and lifestyle (23). For the surrounding area, see DG5 postcode district.

44
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.

Loading map…

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.

Castle Douglas scores 44 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Castle Douglas.
Or compare:
DG5 4AA DG5 DG7

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
63
Air Quality NO₂ 2.2 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 6.8 µg/m³
85
Green Space 14
Parks Adequate 2
Sports Pitches None
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 2
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 11

Services

Schools
21
2 schools in area
2Good
  • Castle Douglas High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Castle Douglas Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
Healthcare
54
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary38.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital72.5 mi
Royal Lancaster Infirmary76.4 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust22 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
2 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity2,192 patients per GP

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

Broadband
53
Full fibre (FTTP)53.6%
available across Dumfries and Galloway
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
78.4%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
78.4%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.2%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 128 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
51
Employment rate54.9%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54.8%Unemployed1.8%Retired30.3%Student2.3%Other inactive10.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial30.6%Skilled & technical36.1%Routine & elementary33.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications26%
Home ownership60%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
72
Council tax Dumfries & Galloway · 2025-26
A £970
B £1,132
C £1,293
D £1,455
E £1,912
F £2,364
G £2,849
H £3,565
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
23
Dumfries 15.7 mi
J18 A74(M) 25.7 mi
J17 A74(M) 25.8 mi
J17 A74(M) 26 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
23
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 11
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 3
Retail Shopping Some 4
Takeaways None
Fitness Some 1

Places like Castle Douglas Pro

Pick the categories you want to beat. Pro members see the most similar settlements that score higher in all of them.

Find somewhere like Castle Douglas, but with a higher score in …

ProSimilar settlements is a Pro featureUpgrade to Pro

House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Castle Douglas. 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

Crossmichael 33 3.3 mi away ⇄
Dalbeattie 39 4.4 mi away ⇄
Kippford 37 6.4 mi away ⇄
Tongland 0 6.9 mi away ⇄
Rockcliffe 36 7.8 mi away ⇄
Kirkcudbright 46 8.6 mi away ⇄
Gatehouse of Fleet 36 11 mi away ⇄
New Galloway 27 12 mi away ⇄
New Abbey 35 13 mi away ⇄
Cargenbridge 51 14 mi away ⇄
Southerness 0 14 mi away ⇄
St John's Town of Dalry 27 15 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Castle Douglas a nice place to live?

Castle Douglas has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Castle Douglas is 44/100, 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 Castle Douglas?

Among the top-rated schools in Castle Douglas are Castle Douglas High School and Castle Douglas Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Castle Douglas in total.

Postcode districts in Castle Douglas

DG5 43 ⇄
DG7 34 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

Get a personalised score for any UK postcode, tailored to what matters most to you.

Score my postcode