Town

Living in Stranraer: Liveability Score 53/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Stranraer scores 53/100 overall, across 8 scored categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 70/100 against a national town median of 18/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 32/100 versus a median of 67/100.

No other settlement in the DG9 postcode district scores higher. Stranraer leads all 3. The DG9 district averages 47/100, putting Stranraer 6 points above its own postcode area. On healthcare specifically, Stranraer sits 9 points above the DG9 district figure of 61/100. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the DG9 postcode district.

53
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.

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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.

Stranraer scores 53 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Stranraer.
Or compare:
DG9 0AA DG9 1AB DG9 7AA DG9 8AA DG9 9AA DG9

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 3.4 · PM2.5 4.3 · PM10 7.3 µg/m³
83
Green Space 11
Parks Ample 12
Sports Pitches Ample 17
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 6
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Ample 21

Services

Schools
26
6 schools in area
5Good1Requires Improvement
  • Belmont SchoolOther · inspected 2018
    Good
  • Park SchoolOther · inspected 2015
    Good
  • Rephad SchoolOther · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Sheuchan SchoolOther · inspected 2013
    Good
  • Stranraer AcademySecondary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • St Joseph's RC SchoolOther · inspected 2011
    Requires Improvement
Healthcare
70
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary81.4 mi
Royal Lancaster Infirmary106.7 mi
Blackpool Victoria Hospital109.7 mi
Hospital waitsUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust42.8 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks69.4%
A&E seen within 4 hrs64.2%
3 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,697 patients per GP

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

Broadband
73
Full fibre (FTTP)53.6%
available across Dumfries and Galloway
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
90.7%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
90.6%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.9%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 379 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
32
Employment rate52.7%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed52.5%Unemployed2.3%Retired29.2%Student2.3%Other inactive13.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial25%Skilled & technical34.7%Routine & elementary40.3%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications18.1%
Home ownership59.7%
Among the most-deprived 30% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
72
Council tax Dumfries & Galloway · 2025-26
A £970
B £1,132
C £1,293
D £1,455
E £1,912
F £2,364
G £2,849
H £3,565
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
Stranraer 0.5 mi
Barrhill 16.6 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
51
Pubs & Bars Ample 15
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 15
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 11
Retail Shopping Ample 121
Takeaways Ample 11
Fitness Adequate 2

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Stranraer. 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

Cairnryan 0 4.3 mi away ⇄
Stoneykirk 0 4.8 mi away ⇄
Portpatrick 34 5.4 mi away ⇄
Glenluce 32 8.8 mi away ⇄
Ballantrae 36 14 mi away ⇄
Drummore 27 16 mi away ⇄
Kirkcowan 33 17 mi away ⇄
Barrhill 34 17 mi away ⇄
Port William 33 20 mi away ⇄
Newton Stewart 42 22 mi away ⇄
Wigtown 37 23 mi away ⇄
Bladnoch 0 24 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Stranraer a nice place to live?

Stranraer is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Stranraer is 53/100, 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 Stranraer?

Among the top-rated schools in Stranraer are Belmont School, Park School and Rephad School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 6 rated schools in Stranraer in total.

Postcode districts in Stranraer

DG9 47 ⇄

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