Town

Living in Forres: Liveability Score 46/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Forres comes out at 46/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Measured against other towns, healthcare stands out most: 56/100 where the typical UK town scores 18/100. That is the highest score of the 3 places in the IV36 postcode district.

On the national picture that lands Forres in the middle half of all the places we score. For the surrounding area, see IV36 postcode district.

46
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.

Forres scores 46 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Forres.
Or compare:
IV36 1AA IV36 2AB IV36 3AB IV36 9AP IV36

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
71
Air Quality NO₂ 1.8 · PM2.5 4.1 · PM10 6.6 µg/m³
85
Green Space 39
Parks Ample 9
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 4
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 13

Services

Schools
30
4 schools in area
2Good2Requires Improvement
  • Anderson's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Pilmuir Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good
  • Applegrove Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Requires Improvement
  • Forres AcademySecondary · inspected 2023
    Requires Improvement
Healthcare
56
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service171.1 mi
Cumberland Infirmary188.3 mi
Hexham General Hospital190.8 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust140.7 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
47
Full fibre (FTTP)60.5%
available across Moray
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
80%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
80%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.2%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 284 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
53
Employment rate57.4%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed57.7%Unemployed2.1%Retired28.5%Student2.5%Other inactive9.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial35.1%Skilled & technical33.9%Routine & elementary31%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications29.8%
Home ownership65.3%
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
20
Forres 0.6 mi
Nairn 9.7 mi
Elgin 11.5 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
32
Pubs & Bars Adequate 6
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 11
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 9
Retail Shopping Adequate 10
Takeaways Some 3
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Forres. 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

Kinloss 35 3.4 mi away ⇄
Findhorn 44 3.7 mi away ⇄
Hardmuir 0 5.6 mi away ⇄
Auldearn 31 7.4 mi away ⇄
Burghead 40 8.2 mi away ⇄
Nairn 43 9.6 mi away ⇄
Hopeman 32 9.7 mi away ⇄
Duffus 0 11 mi away ⇄
Elgin 56 12 mi away ⇄
Longmorn 32 12 mi away ⇄
Fogwatt 38 12 mi away ⇄
Lossiemouth 41 13 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Forres a nice place to live?

Forres has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Forres is 46/100, 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 Forres?

Among the top-rated schools in Forres are Anderson's Primary School and Pilmuir Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 4 rated schools in Forres in total.

Postcode districts in Forres

IV36 44 ⇄

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