Town

Living in Irvine: Liveability Score 51/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Irvine is 51/100, built from 8 categories. Healthcare is where Irvine most outperforms the national norm: 63/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is economic health, at 32/100 against a town median of 67/100.

That is the highest score of the 5 places in the KA11 postcode district. Its healthcare score runs 12 points above the KA11 district's 51/100. Transport (26) and lifestyle (29) all fall below 30/100. For the surrounding area, see KA11 postcode district.

51
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.

Irvine scores 51 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Irvine.
Or compare:
KA11 1AE KA11 2AB KA11 3AA KA11 4AA KA11 5AA KA11 KA12

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
69
Air Quality NO₂ 5.8 · PM2.5 4.7 · PM10 7.7 µg/m³
80
Green Space 42
Parks Ample 17
Sports Pitches Ample 8
Allotments None
Golf Courses Ample 5
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Ample 8
Playgrounds Ample 30

Services

Schools
47
Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 11 in area
1Outstanding8Good2Requires Improvement
  • Glebe Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Outstanding
  • Annick Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2018
    Good
  • Castlepark Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Good
  • Dreghorn Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Greenwood AcademySecondary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Lawthorn Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • St John Ogilvie Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • St Mark's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Woodlands Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • Irvine Royal AcademySecondary · inspected 2013
    Requires Improvement
Healthcare
63
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary81.7 mi
Community Paramedic Service107.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital108.6 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust72 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
4 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,513 patients per GP

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

Broadband
74
Full fibre (FTTP)73.9%
available across North Ayrshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
91.9%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
91.9%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 861 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
32
Employment rate54.9%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed55%Unemployed3.2%Retired24.6%Student3.1%Other inactive14.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial30.4%Skilled & technical33.3%Routine & elementary36.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications20.6%
Home ownership57.9%
Among the most-deprived 31% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax North Ayrshire · 2025-26
A £1,036
B £1,209
C £1,381
D £1,554
E £2,042
F £2,525
G £3,043
H £3,807
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
26
Irvine 1 mi
Kilwinning 3.4 mi
Stevenston 4 mi
J8 M77 8.1 mi
J8 M77 8.2 mi
J7 M77 8.8 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
29
Pubs & Bars Adequate 5
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 9
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 12
Retail Shopping Ample 29
Takeaways Ample 12
Fitness Ample 5

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Irvine. 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

Perceton 38 1.7 mi away ⇄
Shewalton 39 1.7 mi away ⇄
Springside 43 2.4 mi away ⇄
Kilwinning 59 3.2 mi away ⇄
Dundonald 36 3.4 mi away ⇄
Stevenston 57 4.0 mi away ⇄
Crosshouse 49 4.1 mi away ⇄
Loans 47 4.8 mi away ⇄
Troon (South Ayrshire) 49 4.8 mi away ⇄
Kilmaurs 44 5.0 mi away ⇄
Saltcoats 60 5.4 mi away ⇄
Symington (South Ayrshire) 28 5.9 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Irvine a nice place to live?

Irvine is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Irvine is 51/100, 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 Irvine?

Among the top-rated schools in Irvine are Glebe Primary School, Annick Primary School and Castlepark Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 11 rated schools in Irvine in total.

Postcode districts in Irvine

KA11 48 ⇄
KA12 54 ⇄

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