Town

Living in Duns: Liveability Score 41/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Duns scores 41/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Healthcare is where Duns most outperforms the national norm: 47/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is schools, at 7/100 against a town median of 23/100.

Among the 3 scored places sharing the TD11 postcode district, Duns ranks 2nd. It scores 5 points above the TD11 postcode district as a whole, which averages 36/100. On healthcare specifically, Duns sits 19 points above the TD11 district figure of 28/100. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the TD11 postcode district.

41
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.

Duns scores 41 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Duns.
Or compare:
TD11 3AA TD11 9AF TD11

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
78
Air Quality NO₂ 2.291 · PM2.5 4.44 · PM10 8.807 µg/m³
83
Green Space 64
Parks Adequate 3
Sports Pitches Adequate 4
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 4

Services

Schools
7
2 schools in area
1Good1Inadequate
  • Duns Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Berwickshire High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2019
    Inadequate
Healthcare
47
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service35.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital56 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital56.7 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust13.1 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
1 GP surgery 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
49
Full fibre (FTTP)68.6%
available across Scottish Borders
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
75.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
75.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
97.1%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 101 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
52
Employment rate57.7%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed57.9%Unemployed1.5%Retired26.5%Student3%Other inactive11.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial33.4%Skilled & technical34.3%Routine & elementary32.4%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications29.5%
Home ownership54.1%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
72
Council tax Scottish Borders · 2025-26
A £995
B £1,160
C £1,326
D £1,492
E £1,960
F £2,425
G £2,922
H £3,655
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
18
Reston 7.8 mi
Berwick-upon-Tweed 13 mi
Dunbar 16.8 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
19
Pubs & Bars Adequate 4
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 4
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Adequate 17
Takeaways Some 2
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Duns. 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

Fogo 0 4.8 mi away ⇄
Swinton (Scottish Borders) 37 5.0 mi away ⇄
Chirnside 46 5.5 mi away ⇄
Greenlaw 34 6.5 mi away ⇄
Leitholm 0 7.3 mi away ⇄
Norham 40 8.0 mi away ⇄
Coldstream 41 9.1 mi away ⇄
Ayton 39 9.7 mi away ⇄
Cornhill on Tweed 44 9.9 mi away ⇄
Coldingham 36 11 mi away ⇄
Loanend 0 11 mi away ⇄
Eyemouth 45 12 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Duns a nice place to live?

Duns has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Duns is 41/100, 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 Duns?

Among the top-rated schools in Duns is Duns Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Duns in total.

Postcode districts in Duns

TD11 36 ⇄

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