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Living in Nairn: Liveability Score 43/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Nairn is 43/100, built from 8 categories. Healthcare is where Nairn most outperforms the national norm: 47/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. The biggest shortfall against other towns is broadband: 10/100 versus a median of 60/100.

That puts Nairn in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: IV12 postcode district.

43
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.

Nairn scores 43 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Nairn.
Or compare:
IV12 4AA IV12 5AA IV12

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
68
Air Quality NO₂ 2.2 · PM2.5 4.1 · PM10 7.1 µg/m³
85
Green Space 30
Parks Ample 7
Sports Pitches Adequate 4
Allotments None
Golf Courses Adequate 2
Tennis Courts Adequate 4
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 11

Services

Schools
27
3 schools in area · 4 within 4km
2Good1Requires Improvement
  • Millbank Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Nairn AcademySecondary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Rosebank Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2022
    Requires Improvement

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

Healthcare
47
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service173.3 mi
Cumberland Infirmary188.3 mi
Hexham General Hospital192.3 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust143.9 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
10
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
11.3%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
11.3%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 310 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
55
Employment rate53.9%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54%Unemployed1.8%Retired31.8%Student2.3%Other inactive10.1%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial38.3%Skilled & technical32.9%Routine & elementary28.8%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications31.4%
Home ownership68.7%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
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 D
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
35
Nairn 0.2 mi
Inverness Airport 7.7 mi
Forres 9.3 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
36
Pubs & Bars Adequate 5
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 15
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 6
Retail Shopping Ample 68
Takeaways Ample 14
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Nairn. 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

Auldearn 31 2.4 mi away ⇄
Hardmuir 0 4.3 mi away ⇄
Ardersier 37 6.6 mi away ⇄
Croy (Highland) 40 7.0 mi away ⇄
Cromarty 51 9.0 mi away ⇄
Rosemarkie 41 9.1 mi away ⇄
Fortrose 47 9.5 mi away ⇄
Forres 46 9.6 mi away ⇄
Nigg Ferry 0 10 mi away ⇄
Newlands of Culloden 0 10 mi away ⇄
Findhorn 44 11 mi away ⇄
Avoch 38 11 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Nairn a nice place to live?

Nairn has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Nairn is 43/100, 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 Nairn?

Among the top-rated schools in Nairn are Millbank Primary School and Nairn Academy, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Nairn in total.

Postcode districts in Nairn

IV12 41 ⇄

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