Town

Living in Tain: Liveability Score 51/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Tain is 51/100, built from 8 categories. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is healthcare: 57/100 against a national town median of 18/100. Economic health falls furthest short: 41/100 where the typical UK town reaches 67/100.

It scores 10 points above the IV19 postcode district as a whole, which averages 41/100. On healthcare specifically, Tain sits 10 points above the IV19 district figure of 47/100. Broadband (85) also clears 80/100. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the IV19 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.

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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.

Tain scores 51 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Tain.
Or compare:
IV19 1AA IV19 9AE IV19

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
65
Air Quality NO₂ 2 · PM2.5 4.5 · PM10 6.9 µg/m³
84
Green Space 19
Parks Adequate 4
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 8

Services

Schools
44
4 schools in area
4Good
  • Craighill Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2023
    Good
  • Knockbreck Primary School - TainPrimary · inspected 2014
    Good
  • St Duthus SchoolOther · inspected 2022
    Good
  • Tain Royal AcademySecondary · inspected 2013
    Good
Healthcare
57
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service191.1 mi
Cumberland Infirmary205.4 mi
Hexham General Hospital209.9 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust161.1 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
85
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
95.3%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
95.3%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
99.6%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 138 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
41
Employment rate55.1%
Below the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed54.8%Unemployed2.5%Retired27.2%Student2.2%Other inactive13.3%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial30.4%Skilled & technical33%Routine & elementary36.6%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications23.3%
Home ownership57.6%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
66
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
28
Tain 0.4 mi
Fearn 3.3 mi
Invergordon 9.4 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
31
Pubs & Bars Adequate 3
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 4
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 3
Retail Shopping Adequate 19
Takeaways Adequate 5
Fitness Adequate 2

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Tain. 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 3.0 mi away ⇄
Dornoch 41 5.1 mi away ⇄
Balintore 41 6.6 mi away ⇄
Embo 38 7.1 mi away ⇄
Nigg Ferry 0 7.6 mi away ⇄
Portmahomack 46 8.7 mi away ⇄
Invergordon 46 8.9 mi away ⇄
Cromarty 51 9.1 mi away ⇄
Alness 45 11 mi away ⇄
Golspie 49 12 mi away ⇄
Bonar Bridge 45 12 mi away ⇄
Evanton 32 14 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Tain a nice place to live?

Tain is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Tain 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 Tain?

Among the top-rated schools in Tain are Craighill Primary School, Knockbreck Primary School - Tain and St Duthus School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 4 rated schools in Tain in total.

Postcode districts in Tain

IV19 41 ⇄

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