Scotland Counted

Your area · Compare

Compare areas in Scotland

Pick any two council areas, or type two postcodes, and see them side by side: pay, homes, jobs, crime, poverty, health, schools and how the council performs. Every figure is the latest official one, with its source.
First area
Second area

South Ayrshire

South Ayrshire

Better on

13measures

vs

Clackmannanshire

Clackmannanshire

Better on

6measures

South Ayrshire comes out better on 13 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.

At a glance

The headline from each part of life. Tap one to see the detail.

Money and housing

Pay, council tax and what a home costs.

South Ayrshire better on 1 of 1

Full time weekly pay

The middle weekly pay of full time employees who live here, before tax. It leaves out the self employed and some small samples.

Better

South Ayrshire

£870

3rd highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

£765

17th highest of 32

Pay is higher in South AyrshireClear gap

Scotland £776

2025 · ONS, via Nomis

Council tax, Band D

The yearly council tax bill for a Band D home, not counting water and sewerage.

South Ayrshire

£1,695

12th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

£1,684

16th highest of 32

About the same in both

2026-27 · Scottish Government

House prices, change over a year

How much the average price has moved in the last 12 months.

South Ayrshire

+5.8%

5th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

-0.5%

23rd highest of 32

Prices are rising faster in South AyrshireClear gap

Scotland +2.9%

August 2026 · HM Land Registry and Registers of Scotland, with the Office for National Statistics

Average private rent

The average monthly rent for a private let. ONS publishes some areas together, so neighbouring councils can share a figure.

South Ayrshire

£642

a month

Shared with the Ayrshires rental area

Clackmannanshire

£881

a month

Shared with the Forth Valley rental area

Rent is higher in ClackmannanshireClear gap

Scotland £1,011 a month

September 2026 · Office for National Statistics

Rents, change over a year

How much the average private rent has moved in the last 12 months.

South Ayrshire

+1.3%

Shared with the Ayrshires rental area

Clackmannanshire

+1.1%

Shared with the Forth Valley rental area

About the same in both

Scotland +0.7%

September 2026 · Office for National Statistics

Jobs

How many people are out of work, and how many jobs there are.

Clackmannanshire better on 2 of 2

Unemployment

People who want a job and are looking, as a share of everyone working or looking.

South Ayrshire

3.6%

14th highest of 32

Better

Clackmannanshire

3.2%

21st highest of 32

More people out of work in South AyrshireSmall 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

Out of work benefits

Adults aged 16 to 64 claiming benefits mainly because they are out of work.

South Ayrshire

3.1%

8th highest of 32

Better

Clackmannanshire

3.0%

10th highest of 32

About the same in both

Scotland 2.9%

January 2026 · ONS, via Nomis

Jobs per working age adult

Jobs based in the area for every resident aged 16 to 64. Below 1 means fewer jobs than working age people.

South Ayrshire

Not published

Clackmannanshire

Not published

Not published for both areas

Scotland 0.83

2024 · ONS, via Nomis

Poverty and deprivation

Children growing up without enough, and the poorest neighbourhoods.

South Ayrshire better on 2 of 2

Child poverty

Children living in poverty once rent or mortgage costs are paid.

Better

South Ayrshire

20.7%

22nd highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

28.5%

2nd highest of 32

More children in poverty in ClackmannanshireClear gap

Scotland 23.3%

2023/24 · End Child Poverty / Loughborough University

Most deprived neighbourhoods

Share of the area's neighbourhoods in Scotland's most deprived 20%.

Better

South Ayrshire

18.3%

12th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

25.0%

8th highest of 32

More deprived neighbourhoods in ClackmannanshireSmall gap

Scotland 20.0%

SIMD 2020 (version 2) · Scottish Government

Crime

Crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.

South Ayrshire better on 3 of 3

Recorded crime

All crimes recorded by the police, for every 10,000 people.

Better

South Ayrshire

462

per 10,000

19th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

519

per 10,000

15th highest of 32

More crime in ClackmannanshireSmall gap

Scotland 569 per 10,000

2025-26 · Scottish Government

Violent crime

Non sexual crimes of violence, for every 10,000 people. Most of it is common assault.

Better

South Ayrshire

115

per 10,000

21st highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

155

per 10,000

6th highest of 32

More violent crime in ClackmannanshireClear gap

Scotland 136 per 10,000

2025-26 · Scottish Government

Housebreaking

Break ins to homes and other buildings, including attempts, for every 10,000 people.

Better

South Ayrshire

7

per 10,000

26th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

12

per 10,000

14th highest of 32

More break ins in ClackmannanshireClear gap

Scotland 13 per 10,000

2025-26 · Scottish Government

Health

How long people live, and deaths from drugs.

South Ayrshire better on 3 of 3

Life expectancy, men

How long a baby boy born here can expect to live, at today's death rates.

Better

South Ayrshire

76.8

years

20th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

75.9

years

25th highest of 32

Men live longer in South AyrshireSmall gap

Scotland 77.2 years

2022 to 2024 · National Records of Scotland

Life expectancy, women

How long a baby girl born here can expect to live, at today's death rates.

Better

South Ayrshire

81.3

years

16th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

80.3

years

24th highest of 32

Women live longer in South AyrshireSmall gap

Scotland 81.1 years

2022 to 2024 · National Records of Scotland

Drug deaths

Drug misuse deaths each year for every 100,000 people, averaged over five years.

Better

South Ayrshire

21

per 100,000

13th highest of 31

Clackmannanshire

26

per 100,000

7th highest of 31

More drug deaths in ClackmannanshireSmall gap

Scotland 22 per 100,000

2021 to 2025 · National Records of Scotland

Schools

How school leavers do.

South Ayrshire better on 2 of 2

Leavers with a Higher

School leavers with at least one Higher or better.

Better

South Ayrshire

56.2%

16th highest of 31

Clackmannanshire

47.6%

Lowest of 31 areas

More leavers get a Higher in South AyrshireClear gap

Scotland 58.4%

2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government

Leavers into work, study or training

School leavers going on to a job, college, university or training.

Better

South Ayrshire

97.3%

6th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

96.8%

8th highest of 32

More leavers go on to work or study in South AyrshireSmall gap

Scotland 95.7%

2024/25 school leavers · Scottish Government

Council services

How the council itself performs, from the official benchmarking figures.

Clackmannanshire better on 4 of 6

Main roads needing repair

The share of the council's A class roads flagged for repair.

Better

South Ayrshire

21.6%

25th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

35.1%

5th highest of 32

More main roads need repair in ClackmannanshireBig gap

Scotland 30.3%

2025/26 · Improvement Service

Cost of bin collection, per property

What the council spends collecting bins, per property, each year.

South Ayrshire

£59

23rd highest of 32

Better

Clackmannanshire

£47

27th highest of 32

Bin collection costs more in South AyrshireSmall gap

Scotland £77

2024/25 · Improvement Service

Council tax actually collected

How much of the year's council tax came in on time.

South Ayrshire

95.2%

21st highest of 32

Better

Clackmannanshire

96.4%

11th highest of 32

More council tax is collected in ClackmannanshireSmall gap

Scotland 95.5%

2024/25 · Improvement Service

Cost per primary school pupil

What the council spends on each primary pupil in a year.

South Ayrshire

£8,020

12th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

£8,252

9th highest of 32

About the same in both

Scotland £7,606

2024/25 · Improvement Service

Sick days per staff member

Average days lost to sickness per council worker, not counting teachers.

Better

South Ayrshire

11.3

Lowest of 32 areas

Clackmannanshire

17.1

4th highest of 32

Council staff take more sick days in ClackmannanshireBig gap

Scotland 14.5

2024/25 · Improvement Service

Household waste recycled

The share of household waste that gets recycled.

South Ayrshire

53.3%

5th highest of 32

Better

Clackmannanshire

57.2%

Highest of 32 areas

More waste is recycled in ClackmannanshireSmall gap

Scotland 44.3%

2024/25 · Improvement Service

Happy with street cleaning

The share of adults happy with how clean the streets are.

South Ayrshire

46.3%

30th highest of 32

Better

Clackmannanshire

64.3%

12th highest of 32

More people are happy with street cleaning in ClackmannanshireBig gap

Scotland 57.0%

2024/25 · Improvement Service

People

How many people live there, and how old they are.

Population

Everyone living in the area.

South Ayrshire

112,280

20th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

51,610

29th highest of 32

More people live in South AyrshireSmall gap

Scotland 5,545,500

Mid-2025 (30 June 2025) · National Records of Scotland

Median age

Half the people here are older than this, half younger.

South Ayrshire

50.6

years

5th highest of 32

Clackmannanshire

45.6

years

17th highest of 32

People are older in South AyrshireClear 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: South Ayrshire and Clackmannanshire.

Rankings

Every area, ranked