Town

Living in Kirkcowan: Liveability Score 33/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Kirkcowan is 33/100, built from 7 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is bills: 67/100 against a national town median of 47/100. Furthest below the national norm is broadband, at 10/100 against a town median of 60/100.

Kirkcowan places 4th of 8 in the DG8 postcode district. That is 17 points below the national benchmark of 50, the bottom 10% of all UK towns and villages. Schools (3), transport (3) and lifestyle (3) all fall below 30/100. Wider context for the surrounding area: DG8 postcode district.

33
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.

Kirkcowan scores 33 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Kirkcowan.
Or compare:
DG8 0AA DG8 6AA DG8 7AA DG8 8AA DG8 9AA DG8

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
72
Air Quality NO₂ 1.332 · PM2.5 3.949 · PM10 6.092 µg/m³
86
Green Space 39
Parks None
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Some 2

Services

Schools
3
1 school in area
1Good
  • Kirkcowan SchoolOther · inspected 2022
    Good
Healthcare
—
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary65.5 mi
Royal Lancaster Infirmary94.1 mi
Blackpool Victoria Hospital98.8 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust45.7 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
Nearest GP surgeryCairnsmore Medical Practice6 mi
GP capacity1,681 patients per GP

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

Broadband
10
Full fibre (FTTP)53.6%
available across Dumfries and Galloway
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
10.8%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
10.8%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 16 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
47
Employment rate55.7%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed55.4%Unemployed0.8%Retired31.8%Student1.5%Other inactive10.5%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial30.1%Skilled & technical44.1%Routine & elementary25.9%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications30.1%
Home ownership66.3%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
67
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 E
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
3
Barrhill 14.5 mi
Stranraer 16.6 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
3
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience None
Retail Shopping None
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Kirkcowan. 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

Newton Stewart 42 5.8 mi away ⇄
Wigtown 37 7.3 mi away ⇄
Bladnoch 0 7.9 mi away ⇄
Glenluce 32 8.3 mi away ⇄
Creetown 34 9.1 mi away ⇄
Port William 33 11 mi away ⇄
Stoneykirk 0 14 mi away ⇄
Barrhill 34 14 mi away ⇄
Whithorn 32 15 mi away ⇄
Cairnryan 0 16 mi away ⇄
Stranraer 53 17 mi away ⇄
Gatehouse of Fleet 36 17 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Kirkcowan a nice place to live?

Kirkcowan has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Kirkcowan is 33/100, 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 Kirkcowan?

Among the top-rated schools in Kirkcowan is Kirkcowan School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Kirkcowan in total.

Postcode districts in Kirkcowan

DG8 37 ⇄

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