Town

Living in Stornoway: Liveability Score 42/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Stornoway is 42/100, built from 8 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 57/100 against a national town median of 18/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is broadband: 9/100 versus a median of 60/100.

That sits 8 points below the UK-wide average of 50, putting it in the middle half of the towns and villages we score. Below 30/100: transport (21) and schools (26). For the surrounding area, see HS1 postcode district.

42
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.

Stornoway scores 42 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Stornoway.
Or compare:
HS1 2AD HS1 9AA HS1 HS2

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
69
Air Quality NO₂ 3 · PM2.5 3.4 · PM10 5.3 µg/m³
86
Green Space 27
Parks Ample 9
Sports Pitches Ample 14
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Some 2
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 15

Services

Schools
26
3 schools in area · 4 within 4km
3Good
  • Laxdale Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Stornoway Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2015
    Good
  • The Nicolson InstituteOther · inspected 2023
    Good

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 Service261.6 mi
Cumberland Infirmary262.4 mi
Hexham General Hospital276.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust236.6 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
2 GP surgeries 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
9
Full fibre (FTTP)9.6%
available across Na h-Eileanan Siar
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
14.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
14.7%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
98.1%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 223 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
44
Employment rate60.1%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed60.1%Unemployed1.5%Retired26.7%Student2.5%Other inactive9.2%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial34%Skilled & technical30.9%Routine & elementary35.1%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications28.9%
Home ownership62.5%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
67
Council tax Na h-Eileanan Siar · 2025-26
A £925
B £1,080
C £1,234
D £1,388
E £1,824
F £2,256
G £2,718
H £3,401
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
21
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

No nearby stations or motorway junctions found.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
41
Pubs & Bars Adequate 6
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 20
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 6
Retail Shopping Ample 82
Takeaways Adequate 8
Fitness Adequate 2

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Stornoway. 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

Sandwick (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) 0 1.5 mi away ⇄
Melbost 31 2.2 mi away ⇄
Tong 32 2.3 mi away ⇄
Aird Tong 31 2.9 mi away ⇄
Swordale 0 4.7 mi away ⇄
Col 29 5.0 mi away ⇄
Liurbost 27 6.0 mi away ⇄
Lower Bayble 37 6.1 mi away ⇄
Upper Bayble 0 6.8 mi away ⇄
Barvas 0 11 mi away ⇄
North Tolsta 41 11 mi away ⇄
Bragar 38 12 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Stornoway a nice place to live?

Stornoway has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Stornoway is 42/100, 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 Stornoway?

Among the top-rated schools in Stornoway are Laxdale Primary School, Stornoway Primary School and The Nicolson Institute, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Stornoway in total.

Postcode districts in Stornoway

HS1 45 ⇄
HS2 30 ⇄

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