Town

Living in Earlston: Liveability Score 43/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Earlston comes out at 43/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 72/100 where the typical UK town scores 47/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 11/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

Also scoring 80 or better: environment (83). Below 30/100: lifestyle (22) and transport (27). That puts Earlston in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. For the surrounding area, see TD4 postcode district.

43
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.

Earlston scores 43 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Earlston.
Or compare:
TD4 6AA TD4

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
83
Air Quality NO₂ 2 · PM2.5 4.5 · PM10 8.3 µg/m³
83
Green Space 82
Parks None
Sports Pitches Adequate 4
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Adequate 4
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 7

Services

Schools
35
3 schools in area
3Good
  • Earlston High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Earlston Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
    Good
  • Leader Valley SchoolOther · inspected 2024
    Good
Healthcare
38
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service37.1 mi
Hexham General Hospital51.3 mi
Cumberland Infirmary52.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust26.5 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
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
11
Full fibre (FTTP)68.6%
available across Scottish Borders
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
1.6%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
1.6%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 73 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
67
Employment rate59.5%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed59.9%Unemployed1.9%Retired26.9%Student3.1%Other inactive8.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial36.2%Skilled & technical34.3%Routine & elementary29.5%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications31.9%
Home ownership61%
Among the least-deprived 31% of areas in Scotland
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 D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
27
Tweedbank 4 mi
Galashiels 5.4 mi
Stow 8.4 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
22
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 4
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 2
Retail Shopping Adequate 8
Takeaways Some 2
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Earlston. 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

Gattonside 49 3.0 mi away ⇄
Melrose 48 3.6 mi away ⇄
Darnick 45 3.9 mi away ⇄
Newtown St Boswells 44 4.2 mi away ⇄
St Boswells 36 4.9 mi away ⇄
Galashiels 61 5.0 mi away ⇄
Charlesfield 0 5.6 mi away ⇄
Lauder 41 6.4 mi away ⇄
Clovenfords 41 8.0 mi away ⇄
Stow (Scottish Borders) 40 8.3 mi away ⇄
Selkirk 55 8.9 mi away ⇄
Ancrum 31 9.3 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Earlston a nice place to live?

Earlston has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Earlston is 43/100, 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 Earlston?

Among the top-rated schools in Earlston are Earlston High School, Earlston Primary School and Leader Valley School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Earlston in total.

Postcode districts in Earlston

TD4 40 ⇄

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