Town

Living in Elgin: Liveability Score 56/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Elgin is 56/100, built from 8 categories. Measured against other towns, lifestyle stands out most: 70/100 where the typical UK town scores 21/100. That is the highest score of the 6 places in the IV30 postcode district.

Against the wider IV30 district average of 50/100, that is 6 points above. Its lifestyle score runs 9 points above the IV30 district's 61/100. Also scoring 80 or better: environment (81). For the surrounding area, see IV30 postcode district.

56
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.

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.

Elgin scores 56 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Elgin.
Or compare:
IV30 1AA IV30 4AA IV30 5AA IV30 6AA IV30 8AA IV30 9AG IV30

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
81
Air Quality NO₂ 3.4 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 6.8 µg/m³
83
Green Space 77
Parks Ample 15
Sports Pitches Ample 14
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Adequate 5
Bowling Greens Ample 4
Playgrounds Ample 34

Services

Schools
41
8 schools in area
6Good2Requires Improvement
  • Bishopmill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Elgin High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2011
    Good
  • Greenwards Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • New Elgin Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • Seafield Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • West End Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good
  • East End Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
    Requires Improvement
  • Elgin AcademySecondary · inspected 2024
    Requires Improvement
Healthcare
54
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service168.8 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital188.4 mi
Cumberland Infirmary189.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust138.7 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
2 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,373 patients per GP

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

Broadband
71
Full fibre (FTTP)60.5%
available across Moray
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
89.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
89.2%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 627 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
54
Employment rate62.3%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed62.3%Unemployed2%Retired23.2%Student2.3%Other inactive10.3%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial33.3%Skilled & technical31.5%Routine & elementary35.2%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications25.7%
Home ownership61%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax Moray · 2025-26
A £1,049
B £1,224
C £1,399
D £1,574
E £2,068
F £2,558
G £3,082
H £3,856
Energy North 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
38
Elgin 0.2 mi
Forres 12 mi
Keith 14.7 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
70
Pubs & Bars Ample 17
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 34
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 19
Retail Shopping Ample 226
Takeaways Ample 17
Fitness Ample 11

Places like Elgin 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 Elgin, 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 Elgin. 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

Longmorn 32 2.7 mi away ⇄
Lhanbryde 41 3.5 mi away ⇄
Fogwatt 38 3.6 mi away ⇄
Lochhill 0 3.6 mi away ⇄
Duffus 0 4.6 mi away ⇄
Lossiemouth 41 4.6 mi away ⇄
Hopeman 32 6.3 mi away ⇄
Mosstodloch 30 7.0 mi away ⇄
Garmouth 41 7.4 mi away ⇄
Burghead 40 7.5 mi away ⇄
Fochabers 35 8.2 mi away ⇄
Rothes 36 8.9 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Elgin a nice place to live?

Elgin is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Elgin is 56/100, 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 Elgin?

Among the top-rated schools in Elgin are Bishopmill Primary School, Elgin High School and Greenwards Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 8 rated schools in Elgin in total.

Postcode districts in Elgin

IV30 50 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

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

Score my postcode