Town

Living in Inverness: Liveability Score 66/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Inverness scores 66/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Measured against other towns, healthcare stands out most: 79/100 where the typical UK town scores 18/100. Economic health falls furthest short: 51/100 where the typical UK town reaches 67/100.

No category drops below 51/100, which is unusual: most UK towns carry at least one clear weak spot. That is 16 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 5% of all UK towns and villages. Environment (82) sits at 80/100 or above. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the IV1 postcode district.

OUT OF 100

Good

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.

Inverness scores 66 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Inverness.

Or compare:

IV1 1AD IV1 3AA IV1 9AQ IV1 IV2 IV3 IV99

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

Air Quality NO₂ 3.7 · PM2.5 4.2 · PM10 6.6 µg/m³

Green Space 77

Parks Ample 36

Sports Pitches Ample 24

Allotments None

Golf Courses Some 1

Tennis Courts Ample 9

Bowling Greens Ample 5

Playgrounds Ample 75

Services

Schools

Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 21 in area

1Outstanding18Good2Requires Improvement

Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Inbhir NisOther · inspected 2023
Outstanding
Cauldeen Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
Good
Central Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
Good
Cradlehall Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
Good
Crown Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
Good
Dalneigh Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
Good
Drakies Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
Good
Drummond SchoolOther · inspected 2015
Good
Hilton Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
Good
Holm Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
Good

Healthcare

A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service171.5 mi

Cumberland Infirmary182.5 mi

Hexham General Hospital189.1 mi

Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust144.1 mi

Routine referral (median)9 wks

Treated within 18 weeks82.8%

A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%

9 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

Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%

available across Highland

Gigabit-capable · incl. cable

92.3%

Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)

92.3%

Superfast (30+ Mbps)

99%

Ofcom Connected Nations · 1,162 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health

Employment rate62.9%

Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+

Economic activity (16+)

Employed62.8%Unemployed2.2%Retired21.7%Student3%Other inactive10.4%

Occupation mix

Professional & managerial37.6%Skilled & technical32%Routine & elementary30.4%

Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications31.4%

Home ownership61.1%

Around the Scotland average for deprivation

Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD

Bills

Council tax Highland · 2025-26

A £1,018

B £1,188

C £1,357

D £1,527

E £2,006

F £2,481

G £2,990

H £3,741

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

Inverness 0.8 mi

Inverness Airport 7.6 mi

Beauly 9.3 mi

No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Pubs & Bars Ample 45

Restaurants & Cafes Ample 104

Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 44

Retail Shopping Ample 333

Takeaways Ample 49

Fitness Ample 12

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Inverness. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is Inverness a nice place to live?

Yes, Inverness is a nice place to live. Our liveability score for Inverness is 66/100, placing it among one of the better-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Inverness?

Among the top-rated schools in Inverness are Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Inbhir Nis, Cauldeen Primary School and Central Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 21 rated schools in Inverness in total.