Postcode area · Lerwick

ZE area guide

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

Council: Shetland Islands
Region: Scotland
Population: 23,190 (2024)

ZEPostcode area · Lerwick

At a glance

What ZE is like

The ZE postcode area in Scotland covers 658 live postcodes and is home to about 23,190 people in 10,594 households. 67.4% of households own their home, 6.9% rent privately and 22.7% are in social housing. The largest age group is 55–59, and 63.7% of adults are in work. On deprivation, it sits near the middle of the scale for Scotland.

Scores

How ZE compares

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

AffluenceMore

6.4/ 10

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

CrimeMore

20per 1,000

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

TransportMore

0.0/ 10

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

SchoolsMore

34 schools in ZE. None has a published inspection grade.

What stands out

Worth knowing before you invest

Where ZE differs most from the national average.

01
Few private renters
Only 6.9% of households rent privately, against 12.9% across Scotland.

Questions

ZE FAQs

Is ZE a good place to live?

Deprivation, crime, schools and transport at a glance.

It scores 6.4 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 ZE safe?

How recorded crime here compares with the national average.

Police Scotland publishes crime by council area only. Shetland Islands recorded 20 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025-26, against 57 across Scotland.

Who lives in ZE?

Age, home ownership and housing from the census.

The largest age group is 55–59, at 7.5% of residents. 67.4% of households own their home. The most common property type is detached (56.5%).

Which council covers ZE?

The local authority for ZE is Shetland Islands.

ZE comes under Shetland Islands in Scotland. Council tax, planning applications and bin collections are handled there.

How well connected is ZE?

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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