Your area · Compare
Fife
Fife
Better on
9measures
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries and Galloway
Better on
9measures
Level: each area is better on 9 of the 18 measures where better or worse is clear. Prices, rents and council tax are not scored, because cheaper is not better for everyone.
The headline from each part of life. Tap one to see the detail.
Pay, council tax and what a home costs.
Fife better on 1 of 1
The middle weekly pay of full time employees who live here, before tax. It leaves out the self employed and some small samples.
Fife
£763
18th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
£723
29th highest of 32
Pay is higher in FifeSmall gap
Scotland £776
2025 · ONS, via Nomis
The yearly council tax bill for a Band D home, not counting water and sewerage.
Fife
£1,574
28th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
£1,579
27th highest of 32
About the same in both
2026-27 · Scottish Government
The average price paid for a home.
Fife
£182,463
17th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
£171,854
22nd highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland £198,397
August 2026 · HM Land Registry and Registers of Scotland, with the Office for National Statistics
How much the average price has moved in the last 12 months.
Fife
+5.1%
7th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
+3.9%
10th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland +2.9%
August 2026 · HM Land Registry and Registers of Scotland, with the Office for National Statistics
The average monthly rent for a private let. ONS publishes some areas together, so neighbouring councils can share a figure.
Fife
£847
a month
13th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
£556
a month
Lowest of 32 areas
Rent is higher in FifeClear gap
Scotland £1,011 a month
September 2026 · Office for National Statistics
How much the average private rent has moved in the last 12 months.
Fife
+4.7%
4th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
+5.6%
2nd highest of 32
Rents are rising faster in Dumfries and GallowaySmall gap
Scotland +0.7%
September 2026 · Office for National Statistics
How many people are out of work, and how many jobs there are.
Dumfries and Galloway better on 2 of 2
People who want a job and are looking, as a share of everyone working or looking.
Fife
4.2%
7th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
3.2%
21st highest of 32
More people out of work in FifeClear gap
Scotland 4.0%
Small areas have wide margins of error, so a gap under a point or two may not be real.July 2025 to June 2026 · ONS model based estimates of unemployment, via Nomis
Adults aged 16 to 64 claiming benefits mainly because they are out of work.
Fife
3.1%
8th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
2.7%
15th highest of 32
More people on out of work benefits in FifeSmall gap
Scotland 2.9%
January 2026 · ONS, via Nomis
Jobs based in the area for every resident aged 16 to 64. Below 1 means fewer jobs than working age people.
Fife
Not published
Dumfries and Galloway
Not published
Not published for both areas
Scotland 0.83
2024 · ONS, via Nomis
Children growing up without enough, and the poorest neighbourhoods.
Dumfries and Galloway better on 2 of 2
Children living in poverty once rent or mortgage costs are paid.
Fife
25.0%
6th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
22.7%
15th highest of 32
More children in poverty in FifeSmall gap
Scotland 23.3%
Share of the area's neighbourhoods in Scotland's most deprived 20%.
Fife
19.6%
11th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
9.5%
20th highest of 32
More deprived neighbourhoods in FifeClear gap
Scotland 20.0%
SIMD 2020 (version 2) · Scottish Government
Crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.
Fife better on 2 of 2
All crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.
Fife
545
per 10,000
11th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
552
per 10,000
9th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 569 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
Non sexual crimes of violence, for every 10,000 people. Most of it is common assault.
Fife
141
per 10,000
9th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
145
per 10,000
8th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 136 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
Break ins to homes and other buildings, including attempts, for every 10,000 people.
Fife
13
per 10,000
11th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
13
per 10,000
11th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 13 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
How long people live, and deaths from drugs.
Fife better on 2 of 3
How long a baby boy born here can expect to live, at today's death rates.
Fife
77.3
years
16th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
77.2
years
19th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 77.2 years
2022 to 2024 · National Records of Scotland
How long a baby girl born here can expect to live, at today's death rates.
Fife
80.9
years
19th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
81.2
years
18th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 81.1 years
2022 to 2024 · National Records of Scotland
Drug misuse deaths each year for every 100,000 people, averaged over five years.
Fife
19
per 100,000
17th highest of 31
Dumfries and Galloway
23
per 100,000
12th highest of 31
More drug deaths in Dumfries and GallowaySmall gap
Scotland 22 per 100,000
2021 to 2025 · National Records of Scotland
How school leavers do.
Level: 1 each
School leavers with at least one Higher or better.
Fife
50.8%
27th highest of 31
Dumfries and Galloway
52.7%
26th highest of 31
About the same in both
Scotland 58.4%
2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government
School leavers going on to a job, college, university or training.
Fife
96.6%
11th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
95.9%
15th highest of 32
More leavers go on to work or study in FifeSmall gap
Scotland 95.7%
2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government
How the council itself performs, from the official benchmarking figures.
Level: 3 each
The share of the council's A class roads flagged for repair.
Fife
28.7%
13th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
32.8%
8th highest of 32
More main roads need repair in Dumfries and GallowaySmall gap
Scotland 30.3%
2025/26 · Improvement Service
What the council spends collecting bins, per property, each year.
Fife
£77
13th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
£70
16th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland £77
2024/25 · Improvement Service
How much of the year's council tax came in on time.
Fife
95.3%
20th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
97.5%
3rd highest of 32
More council tax is collected in Dumfries and GallowayClear gap
Scotland 95.5%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
What the council spends on each primary pupil in a year.
Fife
£7,381
23rd highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
£8,312
7th highest of 32
More is spent on each primary pupil in Dumfries and GallowaySmall gap
Scotland £7,606
2024/25 · Improvement Service
Average days lost to sickness per council worker, not counting teachers.
Fife
16.7
5th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
13.7
21st highest of 32
Council staff take more sick days in FifeClear gap
Scotland 14.5
2024/25 · Improvement Service
The share of household waste that gets recycled.
Fife
44.5%
19th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
43.2%
20th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 44.3%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
The share of adults happy with how clean the streets are.
Fife
65.7%
8th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
36.0%
Lowest of 32 areas
More people are happy with street cleaning in FifeBig gap
Scotland 57.0%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
How many people live there, and how old they are.
Everyone living in the area.
Fife
373,990
3rd highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
145,490
14th highest of 32
More people live in FifeClear gap
Scotland 5,545,500
Mid-2025 (30 June 2025) · National Records of Scotland
Half the people here are older than this, half younger.
Fife
45.0
years
19th highest of 32
Dumfries and Galloway
51.8
years
3rd highest of 32
People are older in Dumfries and GallowayClear gap
Scotland 43.1 years
Mid-2025 (30 June 2025) · National Records of Scotland
On each line, the coloured dots show where the two areas sit between the lowest and highest of Scotland's 32 council areas, and the grey diamond is Scotland as a whole. Every figure is the latest published, with its source under the card.
More on each area: Fife and Dumfries and Galloway.
Rankings