Town

Living in Portmahomack: Liveability Score 46/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Portmahomack scores 46/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is broadband: 99/100 against a national town median of 60/100. The IV20 district averages 36/100, putting Portmahomack 10 points above its own postcode area.

On broadband specifically, Portmahomack sits 75 points above the IV20 district figure of 24/100. Below 30/100: lifestyle (9), transport (13) and schools (25). That puts Portmahomack in the middle half of the UK towns and villages we score. Wider context for the surrounding area: IV20 postcode district.

46
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.

Portmahomack scores 46 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Portmahomack.
Or compare:
IV20 1AB IV20

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
62
Air Quality NO₂ 0.92 · PM2.5 3.835 · PM10 6.593 µg/m³
86
Green Space 7
Parks Some 1
Sports Pitches Some 1
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds Some 1

Services

Schools
25
1 school in area
1Good
  • Tarbat Old Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
Healthcare
—
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service189.3 mi
Cumberland Infirmary205.8 mi
Hexham General Hospital208.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust158.6 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
Nearest GP surgeryDornoch Medical Practice7.9 mi
GP capacity1,373 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)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
99.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
99.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 22 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
63
Employment rate54.9%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed55.2%Unemployed1.6%Retired34.7%Student0.8%Other inactive7.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial40.4%Skilled & technical35.9%Routine & elementary23.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications32%
Home ownership80.9%
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
13
Fearn 7.3 mi
Tain 8.4 mi
Golspie 11.1 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
9
Pubs & Bars Some 1
Restaurants & Cafes Some 3
Supermarkets & Convenience Some 1
Retail Shopping None
Takeaways None
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Portmahomack. 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

Fendom 0 5.8 mi away ⇄
Balintore 41 6.1 mi away ⇄
Embo 38 8.0 mi away ⇄
Dornoch 41 8.1 mi away ⇄
Tain 51 8.7 mi away ⇄
Golspie 49 11 mi away ⇄
Nigg Ferry 0 12 mi away ⇄
Brora 48 12 mi away ⇄
Cromarty 51 13 mi away ⇄
Findhorn 44 15 mi away ⇄
Burghead 40 16 mi away ⇄
Invergordon 46 16 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Portmahomack a nice place to live?

Portmahomack has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Portmahomack is 46/100, 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 Portmahomack?

Among the top-rated schools in Portmahomack is Tarbat Old Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 1 rated schools in Portmahomack in total.

Postcode districts in Portmahomack

IV20 36 ⇄

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