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Living in Wick (Highland): Liveability Score 50/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Our overall score for Wick (Highland) is 50/100, built from 8 categories. Healthcare is where Wick (Highland) most outperforms the national norm: 59/100 against a median of 18/100 across UK towns. Furthest below the national norm is economic health, at 39/100 against a town median of 67/100.

The KW1 district averages 42/100, putting Wick (Highland) 8 points above its own postcode area. Also scoring 80 or better: broadband (96). Below 30/100: schools (21) and lifestyle (29). The same breakdown for the wider area is on the KW1 postcode district.

50
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.

Wick (Highland) scores 50 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Wick (Highland).
Or compare:
KW1 4AA KW1 5AB KW1

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 1.8 · PM2.5 3.9 · PM10 6.1 µg/m³
86
Green Space 8
Parks Ample 5
Sports Pitches Ample 5
Allotments None
Golf Courses None
Tennis Courts Some 1
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Adequate 6

Services

Schools
21
2 schools in area
2Good
  • Noss primary schoolPrimary · inspected 2019
    Good
  • Wick High SchoolSecondary · inspected 2022
    Good
Healthcare
59
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service220.4 mi
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital238.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital242.1 mi
Hospital waitsNorthumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust189.5 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks82.8%
A&E seen within 4 hrs91.1%
1 GP surgery 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
96
Full fibre (FTTP)62.1%
available across Highland
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
98.5%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
98.5%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 220 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
39
Employment rate58.5%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed58.3%Unemployed2.5%Retired24.5%Student2.2%Other inactive12.5%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial28.2%Skilled & technical33.1%Routine & elementary38.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications18.8%
Home ownership63%
Among the most-deprived 38% of areas in Scotland
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
35
Wick 0.5 mi
Georgemas Junction 13.8 mi
Scotscalder 16.9 mi
No motorway junctions within 30 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
29
Pubs & Bars Adequate 6
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 10
Supermarkets & Convenience Adequate 4
Retail Shopping Ample 24
Takeaways Adequate 10
Fitness Adequate 2

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Wick (Highland). 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

Watten 33 7.9 mi away ⇄
Castletown 45 15 mi away ⇄
Halkirk 43 15 mi away ⇄
Dunnet 0 15 mi away ⇄
Thurso 55 19 mi away ⇄
Scrabster 48 20 mi away ⇄
Buldoo 0 25 mi away ⇄
St Margaret's Hope 38 26 mi away ⇄
Hackness 0 27 mi away ⇄
Burray Village 36 28 mi away ⇄
East Helmsdale 43 31 mi away ⇄
Portskerra 44 31 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Wick (Highland) a nice place to live?

Wick (Highland) is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Wick (Highland) is 50/100, 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 Wick (Highland)?

Among the top-rated schools in Wick (Highland) are Noss primary school and Wick High School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Wick (Highland) in total.

Postcode districts in Wick (Highland)

KW1 42 ⇄

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