Town

Living in Paisley: Liveability Score 67/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Paisley scores 67/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 81/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Furthest below the national norm is economic health, at 40/100 against a town median of 67/100.

No category drops below 40/100, which is unusual: most UK towns carry at least one clear weak spot. Its healthcare score runs 8 points below the PA1 district's 89/100. That is 17 points above the national benchmark of 50, the top 5% of all UK towns and villages. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the PA1 postcode district.

OUT OF 100

Good

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.

Paisley scores 67 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Paisley.

Or compare:

PA1 1AD PA1 2AB PA1 3AA PA1 PA2 PA3 PA4

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

Air Quality NO₂ 8.1 · PM2.5 4.7 · PM10 7.9 µg/m³

Green Space 56

Parks Ample 56

Sports Pitches Ample 52

Allotments Ample 4

Golf Courses Ample 5

Tennis Courts Adequate 5

Bowling Greens Ample 25

Playgrounds Ample 65

Services

Schools

Top 10 by Ofsted rating · 29 in area

7Outstanding22Good

Bushes Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2012
Outstanding
Mossvale Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2025
Outstanding
Ralston Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
Outstanding
St Catherine's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2018
Outstanding
St John Ogilvie Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
Outstanding
St Mary's Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
Outstanding
Todholm Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2019
Outstanding
Brediland Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2024
Good
Castlehead High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2013
Good
Gallowhill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
Good

Healthcare

A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary85.4 mi

Community Paramedic Service103.3 mi

Hexham General Hospital108 mi

Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust78.7 mi

Routine referral (median)12 wks

Treated within 18 weeks64.3%

A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%

12 GP surgeries in area 13 within 4km

GP capacity1,577 patients per GP

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

Broadband

Full fibre (FTTP)91%

available across Renfrewshire

Gigabit-capable · incl. cable

97.7%

Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)

97.7%

Superfast (30+ Mbps)

99.5%

Ofcom Connected Nations · 1,788 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health

Employment rate61.1%

Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+

Economic activity (16+)

Employed60.9%Unemployed2.9%Retired20.8%Student3.9%Other inactive11.4%

Occupation mix

Professional & managerial39%Skilled & technical31.4%Routine & elementary29.6%

Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications31.2%

Home ownership60.9%

Around the Scotland average for deprivation

Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD

Bills

Council tax Renfrewshire · 2025-26

A £1,049

B £1,223

C £1,398

D £1,573

E £2,067

F £2,556

G £3,080

H £3,854

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

Paisley Canal 0.3 mi

Paisley Gilmour Street 0.6 mi

Paisley St James 1 mi

J29 M8 1.5 mi

J28A M8 1.5 mi

J28 M8 1.6 mi

Lifestyle

Pubs & Bars Ample 23

Restaurants & Cafes Ample 42

Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 25

Retail Shopping Ample 148

Takeaways Ample 27

Fitness Ample 15

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Paisley. 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is Paisley a nice place to live?

Yes, Paisley is a nice place to live. Our liveability score for Paisley is 67/100, placing it among one of the better-scoring areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Paisley?

Among the top-rated schools in Paisley are Bushes Primary School, Mossvale Primary School and Ralston Primary School, rated Outstanding by Ofsted. There are 29 rated schools in Paisley in total.