Town

Living in Polbeth: Liveability Score 51/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Polbeth comes out at 51/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Broadband is where Polbeth most outperforms the national norm: 99/100 against a median of 60/100 across UK towns. Economic health falls furthest short: 34/100 where the typical UK town reaches 67/100.

Among the 5 scored places sharing the EH55 postcode district, Polbeth ranks 2nd. Against the wider EH55 district average of 45/100, that is 6 points above. On broadband specifically, Polbeth sits 39 points above the EH55 district figure of 60/100. For the surrounding area, see EH55 postcode district.

51
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.

Loading map…

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.

Polbeth scores 51 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Polbeth.
Or compare:
EH55 8AA EH55

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
73
Air Quality NO₂ 4.516 · PM2.5 4.528 · PM10 7.871 µg/m³
81
Green Space 54
Parks Ample 9
Sports Pitches Adequate 4
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Adequate 4

Services

Schools
43
3 schools in area · 11 within 4km
3Good
  • Parkhead Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good
  • St Mary's RC Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2010
    Good
  • West Calder High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2016
    Good

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

Healthcare
27
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary70.5 mi
Community Paramedic Service74.5 mi
Hexham General Hospital84 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust60.4 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
Nearest GP surgeryWest Calder Medical Practice1.2 mi
GP capacity1,582 patients per GP

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

Broadband
99
Full fibre (FTTP)77.2%
available across West Lothian
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
100%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
100%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 62 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
34
Employment rate67.2%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed66.8%Unemployed2.7%Retired16.2%Student3.5%Other inactive10.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial36.3%Skilled & technical32.8%Routine & elementary30.9%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications26.7%
Home ownership61.6%
Among the most-deprived 35% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
71
Council tax West Lothian · 2025-26
A £1,010
B £1,178
C £1,347
D £1,515
E £1,991
F £2,462
G £2,967
H £3,712
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
44
West Calder 0.7 mi
Livingston South 2.2 mi
Addiewell 2.4 mi
J3A M8 2.9 mi
J3A M8 2.9 mi
J4 M8 3.7 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
47
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Some 1
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 3
Retail Shopping Adequate 10
Takeaways Some 1
Fitness None

Places like Polbeth Pro

Pick the categories you want to beat. Pro members see the most similar settlements that score higher in all of them.

Find somewhere like Polbeth, but with a higher score in …

ProSimilar settlements is a Pro featureUpgrade to Pro

House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Polbeth. 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

Mossend 46 0.9 mi away ⇄
West Calder 46 1.0 mi away ⇄
Seafield 49 1.8 mi away ⇄
Addiewell 47 2.2 mi away ⇄
Livingston 64 2.4 mi away ⇄
Blackburn (West Lothian) 56 2.8 mi away ⇄
Stoneyburn 48 3.4 mi away ⇄
Bathgate 61 4.0 mi away ⇄
East Whitburn 56 4.1 mi away ⇄
East Calder 52 4.7 mi away ⇄
Longridge (West Lothian) 51 5.0 mi away ⇄
Uphall 58 5.1 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Polbeth a nice place to live?

Polbeth is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Polbeth is 51/100, 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 Polbeth?

Among the top-rated schools in Polbeth are Parkhead Primary School, St Mary's RC Primary School and West Calder High School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Polbeth in total.

Postcode districts in Polbeth

EH55 45 ⇄

Check your exact postcode

Get a personalised score for any UK postcode, tailored to what matters most to you.

Score my postcode