Your area · Compare
Orkney Islands
Orkney
Better on
6measures
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Better on
11measures
Aberdeenshire comes out better on 11 of the 17 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.
Aberdeenshire 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.
Orkney
£786
11th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
£825
6th highest of 32
Pay is higher in AberdeenshireSmall gap
Scotland £776
2025 · ONS, via Nomis
The yearly council tax bill for a Band D home, not counting water and sewerage.
Orkney
£1,669
20th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
£1,686
14th highest of 32
About the same in both
2026-27 · Scottish Government
The average price paid for a home.
Orkney
£216,479
10th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
£200,965
12th highest of 32
Homes cost more in OrkneySmall gap
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.
Orkney
-1.2%
27th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
-2.0%
28th 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.
Orkney
£736
a month
Shared with the Highland and Islands rental area
Aberdeenshire
£844
a month
Shared with the Aberdeen and Shire rental area
Rent is higher in AberdeenshireSmall 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.
Orkney
+3.3%
Shared with the Highland and Islands rental area
Aberdeenshire
-1.2%
Shared with the Aberdeen and Shire rental area
Rents are rising faster in OrkneyClear gap
Scotland +0.7%
September 2026 · Office for National Statistics
How many people are out of work, and how many jobs there are.
Level: 1 each
People who want a job and are looking, as a share of everyone working or looking.
Orkney
5.5%
3rd highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
2.8%
29th highest of 32
More people out of work in OrkneyBig 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.
Orkney
1.8%
29th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
1.9%
28th highest of 32
About the same in both
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.
Orkney
Not published
Aberdeenshire
Not published
Not published for both areas
Scotland 0.83
2024 · ONS, via Nomis
Children growing up without enough, and the poorest neighbourhoods.
Level: 1 each
Children living in poverty once rent or mortgage costs are paid.
Orkney
18.6%
28th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
15.0%
29th highest of 32
More children in poverty in OrkneySmall gap
Scotland 23.3%
Share of the area's neighbourhoods in Scotland's most deprived 20%.
Orkney
0.0%
30th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
2.6%
29th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 20.0%
SIMD 2020 (version 2) · Scottish Government
Crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.
Orkney better on 2 of 3
All crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.
Orkney
245
per 10,000
30th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
294
per 10,000
27th highest of 32
More crime in AberdeenshireSmall 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.
Orkney
63
per 10,000
29th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
86
per 10,000
27th highest of 32
More violent crime in AberdeenshireSmall gap
Scotland 136 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
Break ins to homes and other buildings, including attempts, for every 10,000 people.
Orkney
9
per 10,000
21st highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
5
per 10,000
30th highest of 32
More break ins in OrkneyClear gap
Scotland 13 per 10,000
2025-26 · Scottish Government
How long people live, and deaths from drugs.
Aberdeenshire better on 2 of 2
How long a baby boy born here can expect to live, at today's death rates.
Orkney
79.3
years
5th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
79.5
years
3rd 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.
Orkney
82.8
years
5th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
82.9
years
4th 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.
Orkney
Too few deaths for a reliable rate
Aberdeenshire
12
per 100,000
29th highest of 31
Not published for both areas
Scotland 22 per 100,000
2021 to 2025 · National Records of Scotland
How school leavers do.
Aberdeenshire better on 1 of 1
School leavers with at least one Higher or better.
Orkney
Withheld to protect small numbers
Aberdeenshire
56.2%
16th highest of 31
Not published for both areas
Scotland 58.4%
2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government
School leavers going on to a job, college, university or training.
Orkney
93.6%
28th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
94.7%
23rd highest of 32
More leavers go on to work or study in AberdeenshireClear gap
Scotland 95.7%
2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government
How the council itself performs, from the official benchmarking figures.
Aberdeenshire better on 4 of 6
The share of the council's A class roads flagged for repair.
Orkney
35.1%
6th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
22.5%
23rd highest of 32
More main roads need repair in OrkneyBig gap
Scotland 30.3%
2025/26 · Improvement Service
What the council spends collecting bins, per property, each year.
Orkney
£26
Lowest of 32 areas
Aberdeenshire
£86
7th highest of 32
Bin collection costs more in AberdeenshireBig gap
Scotland £77
2024/25 · Improvement Service
How much of the year's council tax came in on time.
Orkney
95.9%
17th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
96.2%
15th highest of 32
About the same in both
Scotland 95.5%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
What the council spends on each primary pupil in a year.
Orkney
£12,194
3rd highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
£7,132
28th highest of 32
More is spent on each primary pupil in OrkneyBig gap
Scotland £7,606
2024/25 · Improvement Service
Average days lost to sickness per council worker, not counting teachers.
Orkney
13.5
22nd highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
11.3
31st highest of 32
Council staff take more sick days in OrkneyClear gap
Scotland 14.5
2024/25 · Improvement Service
The share of household waste that gets recycled.
Orkney
21.1%
31st highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
44.7%
18th highest of 32
More waste is recycled in AberdeenshireBig gap
Scotland 44.3%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
The share of adults happy with how clean the streets are.
Orkney
65.7%
8th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
60.7%
18th highest of 32
More people are happy with street cleaning in OrkneySmall gap
Scotland 57.0%
2024/25 · Improvement Service
How many people live there, and how old they are.
Everyone living in the area.
Orkney
21,920
Lowest of 32 areas
Aberdeenshire
264,640
6th highest of 32
More people live in AberdeenshireClear gap
Scotland 5,545,500
Mid-2025 (30 June 2025) · National Records of Scotland
Half the people here are older than this, half younger.
Orkney
50.5
years
6th highest of 32
Aberdeenshire
46.3
years
14th highest of 32
People are older in OrkneyClear 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: Orkney and Aberdeenshire.
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