Town

Living in Kelso: Liveability Score 54/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Kelso scores 54/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Measured against other towns, lifestyle stands out most: 61/100 where the typical UK town scores 21/100. On lifestyle specifically, Kelso sits 10 points above the TD5 district figure of 51/100.

Environment (86) sits at 80/100 or above. That puts Kelso in the top quarter of the UK towns and villages we score. For the surrounding area, see TD5 postcode district.

54
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.

Kelso scores 54 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Kelso.
Or compare:
TD5 7AA TD5 8AA TD5 9AU TD5

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
86
Air Quality NO₂ 2.8 · PM2.5 4.5 · PM10 8.1 µg/m³
83
Green Space 95
Parks Ample 10
Sports Pitches Ample 9
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 13

Services

Schools
33
3 schools in area · 5 within 4km
3Good
  • Broomlands Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Edenside Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Kelso High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2011
    Good

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

Healthcare
53
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service27.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital44.6 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital48.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust16.7 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
1 GP surgery 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
61
Full fibre (FTTP)68.6%
available across Scottish Borders
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
86.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
86.7%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.2%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 200 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
56
Employment rate54.2%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54.1%Unemployed1.4%Retired34.2%Student2.5%Other inactive7.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial34.3%Skilled & technical34.4%Routine & elementary31.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications27.2%
Home ownership59.9%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax Scottish Borders · 2025-26
A £995
B £1,160
C £1,326
D £1,492
E £1,960
F £2,425
G £2,922
H £3,655
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
38
Tweedbank 12.9 mi
Galashiels 14.8 mi
Stow 18.2 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
61
Pubs & Bars Adequate 7
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 11
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 5
Retail Shopping Ample 95
Takeaways Adequate 6
Fitness Ample 6

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Kelso. 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

Leitholm 0 6.2 mi away ⇄
Greenlaw 34 7.4 mi away ⇄
Fogo 0 7.6 mi away ⇄
Coldstream 41 7.7 mi away ⇄
St Boswells 36 8.6 mi away ⇄
Cornhill on Tweed 44 8.7 mi away ⇄
Ancrum 31 8.7 mi away ⇄
Charlesfield 0 9.4 mi away ⇄
Newtown St Boswells 44 9.6 mi away ⇄
Jedburgh 47 9.7 mi away ⇄
Earlston 43 9.9 mi away ⇄
Swinton (Scottish Borders) 37 11 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Kelso a nice place to live?

Kelso is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Kelso is 54/100, 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 Kelso?

Among the top-rated schools in Kelso are Broomlands Primary School, Edenside Primary School and Kelso High School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Kelso in total.

Postcode districts in Kelso

TD5 53 ⇄

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