Town

Living in Houston: Liveability Score 48/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Houston scores 48/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is bills: 71/100 against a national town median of 47/100. Of the 4 places sharing the PA6 postcode district, Houston scores lowest.

It scores 7 points below the PA6 postcode district as a whole, which averages 55/100. Economic health (87) sits at 80/100 or above. Below 30/100: lifestyle (22) and transport (24). For the surrounding area, see PA6 postcode district.

48
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.

Houston scores 48 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Houston.
Or compare:
PA6 7AA PA6

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 4.6 · PM2.5 4.3 · PM10 6.9 µg/m³
83
Green Space 44
Parks Ample 6
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 5

Services

Schools
40
3 schools in area · 10 within 4km
1Outstanding2Good
  • Gryffe High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2020
    Outstanding
  • Houston Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • St Fillan's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
36
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary91 mi
Community Paramedic Service109.3 mi
Hexham General Hospital113.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust82.6 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
1 GP surgery in area 3 within 4km
GP capacity1,577 patients per GP

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

Broadband
72
Full fibre (FTTP)91%
available across Renfrewshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
84.9%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
84.9%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 60 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
87
Employment rate76.5%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed76.3%Unemployed1.7%Retired14.9%Student2.9%Other inactive4.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial60.8%Skilled & technical27%Routine & elementary12.2%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications50.3%
Home ownership89.5%
Among the least-deprived 13% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax Renfrewshire · 2025-26
A £1,049
B £1,223
C £1,398
D £1,573
E £2,067
F £2,556
G £3,080
H £3,854
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
24
Johnstone 2.8 mi
Milliken Park 3 mi
Bishopton 3 mi
J29A M8 2.9 mi
J30 M8 3.2 mi
J30 M8 3.3 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
22
Pubs & Bars Some 2
Restaurants & Cafes Some 2
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping Some 3
Takeaways Some 1
Fitness Some 1

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Houston. 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

Crosslee 53 0.4 mi away ⇄
Craigends 53 0.8 mi away ⇄
Brookfield 46 1.5 mi away ⇄
Bridge of Weir 41 1.6 mi away ⇄
Linwood 60 2.1 mi away ⇄
Kilbarchan 49 2.2 mi away ⇄
Johnstone 63 2.8 mi away ⇄
Quarriers Village 35 2.9 mi away ⇄
Bishopton 53 3.0 mi away ⇄
Elderslie 62 3.2 mi away ⇄
Kilmacolm 45 3.7 mi away ⇄
Howwood 42 4.0 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Houston a nice place to live?

Houston has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Houston is 48/100, 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 Houston?

Among the top-rated schools in Houston are Gryffe High School, Houston Primary School and St Fillan's Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Houston in total.

Postcode districts in Houston

PA6 55 ⇄

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