Town

Living in Thurso: Liveability Score 55/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Thurso comes out at 55/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Measured against other towns, healthcare stands out most: 58/100 where the typical UK town scores 18/100. The biggest shortfall against other towns is economic health: 47/100 versus a median of 67/100.

That is the highest score of the 4 places in the KW14 postcode district. Against the wider KW14 district average of 46/100, that is 9 points above. Broadband (99) sits at 80/100 or above. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the KW14 postcode district.

55
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.

Thurso scores 55 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Thurso.
Or compare:
KW14 7AA KW14 8AA KW14 9AE KW14

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
64
Air Quality NO₂ 1.7 · PM2.5 4 · PM10 6.3 µg/m³
85
Green Space 13
Parks Adequate 4
Sports Pitches Adequate 4
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts Adequate 3
Bowling Greens Some 1
Playgrounds Ample 17

Services

Schools
37
4 schools in area
4Good
  • Miller Academy Primary SchoolSecondary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • Mount Pleasant Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2017
    Good
  • Pennyland Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2009
    Good
  • Thurso High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2012
    Good
Healthcare
58
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service234.7 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital253.8 mi
Hexham General Hospital255.8 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust203.2 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
2 GP surgeries in area
GP capacity1,373 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 · 290 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
47
Employment rate58%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed58%Unemployed1.8%Retired26.5%Student1.9%Other inactive11.7%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial35.7%Skilled & technical32.3%Routine & elementary32%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications22.8%
Home ownership64.6%
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
49
Thurso 0.2 mi
Georgemas Junction 6.1 mi
Scotscalder 7.6 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
38
Pubs & Bars Adequate 6
Restaurants & Cafes Ample 20
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 7
Retail Shopping Ample 46
Takeaways Some 3
Fitness Adequate 3

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Thurso. 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

Scrabster 48 1.4 mi away ⇄
Castletown 45 5.1 mi away ⇄
Halkirk 43 5.7 mi away ⇄
Dunnet 0 6.9 mi away ⇄
Buldoo 0 7.5 mi away ⇄
Watten 33 12 mi away ⇄
Portskerra 44 15 mi away ⇄
Wick (Highland) 50 19 mi away ⇄
Hackness 0 23 mi away ⇄
St Margaret's Hope 38 26 mi away ⇄
Stromness 44 27 mi away ⇄
Burray Village 36 28 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Thurso a nice place to live?

Thurso is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Thurso is 55/100, 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 Thurso?

Among the top-rated schools in Thurso are Miller Academy Primary School, Mount Pleasant Primary School and Pennyland Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 4 rated schools in Thurso in total.

Postcode districts in Thurso

KW14 46 ⇄

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