Postcode area · Kirkwall

KW area guide

Who lives in KW, what homes sell for, and how it compares on crime, schools and transport.

Council: Highland
Region: Scotland
Population: 52,503 (2024)

KWPostcode area · Kirkwall

At a glance

What KW is like

The KW postcode area in Scotland covers 1,851 live postcodes and is home to about 52,503 people in 25,702 households. 68.2% of households own their home, 8.7% rent privately and 19.2% are in social housing. The largest age group is 55–59, and 56.8% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for Scotland.

Scores

How KW compares

Headline figures for KW, set against Scotland as a whole.

AffluenceMore

5.3/ 10

Around the middle. Scored from 1 (most deprived in Scotland) to 10 (least deprived).

CrimeMore

43per 1,000

Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents in Highland a year, against 57 across Scotland.

TransportMore

0.0/ 10

Poor: 0 stations within a mile, 0 bus stops within 800m.

SchoolsMore

52 schools in KW. None has a published inspection grade.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where KW differs most from the national average.

01
An older population
25.3% of residents are 65 or over, against 20% across Scotland.
02
Few private renters
Only 8.7% of households rent privately, against 12.9% across Scotland.

Questions

KW FAQs

Is KW a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 5.3 out of 10 on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020, where 10 is the least deprived in Scotland. Transport connectivity scores 0.0 out of 10 (poor).

Is KW safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Police Scotland publishes crime by council area only. Highland recorded 43 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025-26, against 57 across Scotland.

Who lives in KW?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 55–59, at 8.6% of residents. 68.2% of households own their home. The most common property type is detached (49%).

Which council covers KW?

The local authority for KW is Highland.

KW comes under Highland in Scotland. Council tax, planning applications and bin collections are handled there.

How well connected is KW?

Connectivity scores 0.0 out of 10.

There are 0 bus stops within 800m and 0 stations and tram stops within a mile, scoring 0.0 out of 10 (poor).

Sources: Scotland's Census 2022 (NRS); ONS mid-year population estimates; police recorded crime; the English, Welsh and Scottish indices of deprivation; ONS small area income estimates; ONS private rents; DfE, Welsh and Scottish school registers and Ofsted; DfT NaPTAN; ORR estimates of station usage; HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

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