Town

Living in Forfar: Liveability Score 59/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Forfar is 59/100, built from 8 categories. Healthcare is where Forfar most outperforms the national norm: 73/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 46/100 versus a median of 67/100.

No other settlement in the DD8 postcode district scores higher. Forfar leads all 4. The DD8 district averages 49/100, putting Forfar 10 points above its own postcode area. On healthcare specifically, Forfar sits 18 points above the DD8 district figure of 55/100. For the surrounding area, see DD8 postcode district.

59
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.

Forfar scores 59 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Forfar.
Or compare:
DD8 0BJ DD8 1AA DD8 2AA DD8 3AA DD8 4AA DD8 5AA DD8 9AH DD8

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 3.5 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 8.1 µg/m³
83
Green Space 78
Parks Ample 12
Sports Pitches Ample 13
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Adequate 3
Playgrounds Ample 15

Services

Schools
30
3 schools in area
3Good
  • Langlands Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good
  • Strathmore Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Whitehills Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good
Healthcare
73
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service98.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital118.8 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital119.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust69.3 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
65
Full fibre (FTTP)50.7%
available across Angus
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
88%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
88%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.5%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 394 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
46
Employment rate54.8%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54.8%Unemployed2.1%Retired29.4%Student3%Other inactive10.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial31.1%Skilled & technical33%Routine & elementary36%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications23.6%
Home ownership61.4%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax Angus · 2025-26
A £975
B £1,137
C £1,300
D £1,462
E £1,921
F £2,376
G £2,863
H £3,582
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
60
Monifieth 11.7 mi
Barry Links 11.8 mi
Balmossie 11.9 mi
J11 M90 26.4 mi
J11 M90 26.8 mi
J10 M90 27.5 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
63
Pubs & Bars Ample 13
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 16
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 12
Retail Shopping Ample 159
Takeaways Ample 23
Fitness Ample 6

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Forfar. 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

Padanaram 0 3.0 mi away ⇄
Letham 44 4.7 mi away ⇄
Kirriemuir 51 4.9 mi away ⇄
Westmuir 40 5.7 mi away ⇄
Monikie 39 8.0 mi away ⇄
Wellbank 38 8.6 mi away ⇄
Friockheim 38 8.7 mi away ⇄
Kirkton of Auchterhouse 40 9.9 mi away ⇄
Brechin 44 11 mi away ⇄
Meigle 37 11 mi away ⇄
Colliston 36 11 mi away ⇄
Monifieth 54 11 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Forfar a nice place to live?

Forfar is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Forfar is 59/100, 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 Forfar?

Among the top-rated schools in Forfar are Langlands Primary School, Strathmore Primary School and Whitehills Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Forfar in total.

Postcode districts in Forfar

DD8 49 ⇄

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