Town

Living in Musselburgh: Liveability Score 63/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Musselburgh is 63/100, built from 8 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is lifestyle: 84/100 against a national town median of 21/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 48/100 versus a median of 67/100.

Musselburgh places 2nd of 4 in the EH21 postcode district. No category drops below 48/100, which is unusual: most UK towns carry at least one clear weak spot. That is 13 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 5% of all UK towns and villages. Wider context for the surrounding area: EH21 postcode district.

63
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.

Musselburgh scores 63 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Musselburgh.
Or compare:
EH21 6AA EH21 7AA EH21 8AA EH21

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
83
Air Quality NO₂ 6.7 · PM2.5 4.8 · PM10 8.8 µg/m³
79
Green Space 93
Parks Ample 30
Sports Pitches Ample 19
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Ample 9
Bowling Greens Ample 7
Playgrounds Ample 30

Services

Schools
51
8 schools in area · 11 within 4km
1Outstanding6Good1Requires Improvement
  • Stoneyhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2013
    Outstanding
  • Campie Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
    Good
  • Musselburgh Burgh Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • Musselburgh Grammar SchoolSecondary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • Newcraighall Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Pinkie St Peter's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Wallyford Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Loretto RC Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2011
    Requires Improvement

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

Healthcare
57
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service61.5 mi
Cumberland Infirmary71.3 mi
Hexham General Hospital76.1 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust42.2 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
2 GP surgeries in area 4 within 4km
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

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

Broadband
67
Full fibre (FTTP)87.1%
available across East Lothian
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
83.9%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
83.9%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 519 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
48
Employment rate63.2%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed63.3%Unemployed2.5%Retired20.5%Student4.9%Other inactive8.9%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial40.5%Skilled & technical33%Routine & elementary26.5%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications32.6%
Home ownership65.6%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
77
Council tax East Lothian · 2025-26
A £1,053
B £1,228
C £1,404
D £1,579
E £2,075
F £2,566
G £3,092
H £3,869
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
66
Musselburgh 0.9 mi
Wallyford 1.5 mi
Newcraighall 1.5 mi
J1 M8 10.5 mi
J2 M8 13 mi
J1 M90 13.2 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
84
Pubs & Bars Ample 12
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 28
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 14
Retail Shopping Ample 81
Takeaways Ample 23
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Musselburgh. 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

Whitecraig 45 1.4 mi away ⇄
Wallyford 54 1.6 mi away ⇄
Danderhall 62 2.8 mi away ⇄
Prestonpans 57 3.1 mi away ⇄
Dalkeith 58 3.3 mi away ⇄
Elphinstone 49 3.4 mi away ⇄
Tranent 58 3.9 mi away ⇄
Cockenzie and Port Seton 53 4.5 mi away ⇄
Ormiston 45 4.5 mi away ⇄
Blindwells 49 4.6 mi away ⇄
Bonnyrigg 63 5.0 mi away ⇄
Gorebridge and Mayfield 55 5.4 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Musselburgh a nice place to live?

Musselburgh is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Musselburgh is 63/100, 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 Musselburgh?

Among the top-rated schools in Musselburgh are Stoneyhill Primary School, Campie Primary School and Musselburgh Burgh Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 8 rated schools in Musselburgh in total.

Postcode districts in Musselburgh

EH21 62 ⇄

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