Town

Living in Dunbar: Liveability Score 60/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Dunbar comes out at 60/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 71/100 against a national town median of 18/100. It scores 7 points above the EH42 postcode district as a whole, which averages 53/100.

On healthcare specifically, Dunbar sits 9 points above the EH42 district figure of 62/100. That sits 10 points above the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the top 10% of the towns and villages we score. Also scoring 80 or better: broadband (86). Wider context for the surrounding area: EH42 postcode district.

60
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.

Dunbar scores 60 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Dunbar.
Or compare:
EH42 1AA EH42 9AG EH42

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
79
Air Quality NO₂ 3.3 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 8.2 µg/m³
83
Green Space 70
Parks Ample 31
Sports Pitches Ample 16
Allotments Ample 4
Golf Courses Adequate 2
Tennis Courts Ample 8
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 42

Services

Schools
29
3 schools in area
3Good
  • Dunbar Grammar SchoolSecondary · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Dunbar Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • West Barns Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Good
Healthcare
71
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service52.2 mi
Hexham General Hospital72.1 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital72.7 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust25.3 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
3 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
86
Full fibre (FTTP)87.1%
available across East Lothian
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
95.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
95.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.8%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 253 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
56
Employment rate61.8%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed61.6%Unemployed1.9%Retired24.9%Student3.1%Other inactive8.6%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial43.7%Skilled & technical31%Routine & elementary25.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications38%
Home ownership69.1%
Among the least-deprived 38% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax East Lothian · 2025-26
A £1,053
B £1,228
C £1,404
D £1,579
E £2,075
F £2,566
G £3,092
H £3,869
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
53
Dunbar 0.3 mi
East Linton 5.6 mi
North Berwick 9.2 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
58
Pubs & Bars Adequate 5
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 14
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 4
Retail Shopping Ample 21
Takeaways Some 3
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Dunbar. 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

West Barns 51 1.2 mi away ⇄
Broxburn (East Lothian) 0 2.4 mi away ⇄
Innerwick 0 4.1 mi away ⇄
East Linton 45 5.4 mi away ⇄
East Fortune 32 7.7 mi away ⇄
North Berwick 50 8.8 mi away ⇄
Dirleton 35 11 mi away ⇄
New Mains 0 11 mi away ⇄
Haddington 57 11 mi away ⇄
Gifford 44 11 mi away ⇄
Archerfield the Village 0 11 mi away ⇄
Gullane 47 12 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Dunbar a nice place to live?

Dunbar is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Dunbar is 60/100, 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 Dunbar?

Among the top-rated schools in Dunbar are Dunbar Grammar School, Dunbar Primary School and West Barns Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Dunbar in total.

Postcode districts in Dunbar

EH42 53 ⇄

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