Your area · Compare
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Western Isles
Better on
15measures
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire
Better on
4measures
Western Isles comes out better on 15 of the 19 measures where better or worse is clear, like crime and life expectancy. 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.
Western Isles 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.
Western Isles
£780
13th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
£733
27th highest of 32
Pay is higher in Western IslesSmall gap
Scotland £776
2025 · ONS, via Nomis
The yearly council tax bill for a Band D home, not counting water and sewerage.
Western Isles
£1,506
30th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
£1,717
8th highest of 32
Council tax is higher in East AyrshireBig gap
2026-27 · Scottish Government
The average price paid for a home.
Western Isles
£147,416
27th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
£138,206
29th 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.
Western Isles
+13.6%
Highest of 32 areas
East Ayrshire
+3.6%
15th highest of 32
Prices are rising faster in Western IslesClear gap
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.
Western Isles
£736
a month
Shared with the Highland and Islands rental area
East Ayrshire
£642
a month
Shared with the Ayrshires rental area
Rent is higher in Western IslesSmall 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.
Western Isles
+3.3%
Shared with the Highland and Islands rental area
East Ayrshire
+1.3%
Shared with the Ayrshires rental area
Rents are rising faster in Western IslesSmall gap
Scotland +0.7%
September 2026 · Office for National Statistics
How many people are out of work, and how many jobs there are.
Western Isles better on 2 of 2
People who want a job and are looking, as a share of everyone working or looking.
Western Isles
2.3%
31st highest of 32
East Ayrshire
4.5%
5th highest of 32
More people out of work in East AyrshireBig 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.
Western Isles
2.1%
27th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
3.5%
5th highest of 32
More people on out of work benefits in East AyrshireClear 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.
Western Isles
Not published
East Ayrshire
Not published
Not published for both areas
Scotland 0.83
2024 · ONS, via Nomis
Children growing up without enough, and the poorest neighbourhoods.
Western Isles better on 2 of 2
Children living in poverty once rent or mortgage costs are paid.
Western Isles
19.7%
24th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
23.6%
12th highest of 32
More children in poverty in East AyrshireSmall gap
Scotland 23.3%
Share of the area's neighbourhoods in Scotland's most deprived 20%.
Western Isles
0.0%
30th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
31.3%
7th highest of 32
More deprived neighbourhoods in East AyrshireBig gap
Scotland 20.0%
SIMD 2020 (version 2) · Scottish Government
Crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.
Western Isles better on 3 of 3
All crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.
Western Isles
236
per 10,000
31st highest of 32
East Ayrshire
538
per 10,000
13th highest of 32
More crime in East AyrshireClear gap
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.
Western Isles
66
per 10,000
28th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
126
per 10,000
15th highest of 32
More violent crime in East AyrshireClear gap
Scotland 136 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
Break ins to homes and other buildings, including attempts, for every 10,000 people.
Western Isles
2
per 10,000
31st highest of 32
East Ayrshire
11
per 10,000
16th highest of 32
More break ins in East AyrshireBig gap
Scotland 13 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
How long people live, and deaths from drugs.
Western Isles better on 3 of 3
How long a baby boy born here can expect to live, at today's death rates.
Western Isles
76.8
years
20th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
75.7
years
26th highest of 32
Men live longer in Western IslesSmall gap
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.
Western Isles
80.8
years
21st highest of 32
East Ayrshire
78.9
years
30th highest of 32
Women live longer in Western IslesClear gap
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.
Western Isles
11
per 100,000
30th highest of 31
East Ayrshire
30
per 100,000
6th highest of 31
More drug deaths in East AyrshireBig gap
Scotland 22 per 100,000
2021 to 2025 · National Records of Scotland
How school leavers do.
Western Isles better on 2 of 2
School leavers with at least one Higher or better.
Western Isles
54.1%
22nd highest of 31
East Ayrshire
50.3%
29th highest of 31
More leavers get a Higher in Western IslesSmall gap
Scotland 58.4%
2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government
School leavers going on to a job, college, university or training.
Western Isles
96.1%
14th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
93.3%
31st highest of 32
More leavers go on to work or study in Western IslesBig gap
Scotland 95.7%
2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government
How the council itself performs, from the official benchmarking figures.
East Ayrshire better on 4 of 6
The share of the council's A class roads flagged for repair.
Western Isles
30.1%
12th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
14.9%
Lowest of 32 areas
More main roads need repair in Western IslesBig gap
Scotland 30.3%
2025/26 · Improvement Service
What the council spends collecting bins, per property, each year.
Western Isles
£96
5th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
£61
21st highest of 32
Bin collection costs more in Western IslesClear gap
Scotland £77
2024/25 · Improvement Service
How much of the year's council tax came in on time.
Western Isles
89.5%
Lowest of 32 areas
East Ayrshire
94.9%
22nd highest of 32
More council tax is collected in East AyrshireBig gap
Scotland 95.5%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
What the council spends on each primary pupil in a year.
Western Isles
£13,166
Highest of 32 areas
East Ayrshire
£7,634
17th highest of 32
More is spent on each primary pupil in Western IslesBig gap
Scotland £7,606
2024/25 · Improvement Service
Average days lost to sickness per council worker, not counting teachers.
Western Isles
13.1
27th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
16.4
7th highest of 32
Council staff take more sick days in East AyrshireClear gap
Scotland 14.5
2024/25 · Improvement Service
The share of household waste that gets recycled.
Western Isles
40.3%
26th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
49.2%
15th highest of 32
More waste is recycled in East AyrshireClear gap
Scotland 44.3%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
The share of adults happy with how clean the streets are.
Western Isles
52.3%
25th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
47.3%
29th highest of 32
More people are happy with street cleaning in Western IslesSmall gap
Scotland 57.0%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
How many people live there, and how old they are.
Everyone living in the area.
Western Isles
25,770
30th highest of 32
East Ayrshire
121,350
16th highest of 32
More people live in East AyrshireSmall gap
Scotland 5,545,500
Mid-2025 (30 June 2025) · National Records of Scotland
Half the people here are older than this, half younger.
Western Isles
52.3
years
Highest of 32 areas
East Ayrshire
45.8
years
16th highest of 32
People are older in Western IslesClear 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: Western Isles and East Ayrshire.
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