Town

Living in Gretna: Liveability Score 41/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Gretna scores 41/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Measured against other towns, bills stands out most: 72/100 where the typical UK town scores 47/100. Broadband falls furthest short: 30/100 where the typical UK town reaches 60/100.

That is 9 points below the national benchmark of 50, the middle half of all UK towns and villages. Schools (16) and transport (28) all fall below 30/100. Wider context for the surrounding area: DG16 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.

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.

Gretna scores 41 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Gretna.
Or compare:
DG16 5AA DG16

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
67
Air Quality NO₂ 4 · PM2.5 4.7 · PM10 9 µg/m³
81
Green Space 34
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 3

Services

Schools
16
2 schools in area
2Good
  • Gretna SchoolOther · inspected 2010
    Good
  • Springfield Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Good
Healthcare
40
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary7.6 mi
Hexham General Hospital38.2 mi
Community Paramedic Service50 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust4 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
1 GP surgery in area
GP capacity1,433 patients per GP

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

Broadband
30
Full fibre (FTTP)53.6%
available across Dumfries and Galloway
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
77.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
77.4%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 94 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
59
Employment rate54.4%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed53.9%Unemployed1.4%Retired32.1%Student2.4%Other inactive10.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial24.8%Skilled & technical35.7%Routine & elementary39.5%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications17.9%
Home ownership67.4%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
72
Council tax Dumfries & Galloway · 2025-26
A £970
B £1,132
C £1,293
D £1,455
E £1,912
F £2,364
G £2,849
H £3,565
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
28
Gretna Green 0.4 mi
Annan 7.9 mi
Carlisle 9 mi
J22 A74(M) 0.4 mi
J22 A74(M) 0.6 mi
J45 A74(M) 0.9 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
31
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 4
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 3
Retail Shopping Ample 56
Takeaways Adequate 4
Fitness Some 1

Places like Gretna 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 Gretna, 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 Gretna. 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

Blackbank 0 2.2 mi away ⇄
Kirkpatrick-Fleming 33 3.5 mi away ⇄
Longtown 45 3.8 mi away ⇄
Eastriggs 32 4.4 mi away ⇄
Burgh by Sands 32 5.1 mi away ⇄
Harker 30 5.5 mi away ⇄
Cargo 52 5.7 mi away ⇄
Creca 0 6.6 mi away ⇄
Eaglesfield 27 6.8 mi away ⇄
Canonbie 30 7.3 mi away ⇄
Annan 51 7.5 mi away ⇄
Houghton (Carlisle) 60 7.7 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Gretna a nice place to live?

Gretna has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Gretna 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 Gretna?

Among the top-rated schools in Gretna are Gretna School and Springfield Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Gretna in total.

Postcode districts in Gretna

DG16 41 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

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

Score my postcode