Living in Kirkwall

In Kirkwall, unemployment is 1.7% (2023).

Kirkwall is a city in the United Kingdom.

Last checked 2026-10-0717 sources

Population7,500people30 Jun 2020Official source · Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2

Median gross salary (region)2,855EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk

Average rent863.3EUR/month31 Aug 2026Regional figureOfficial source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price

Unemployment rate1.7%country median 3.4% — 50% belowOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

Recorded crime2,448incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — 75% belowOfficial source · Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4

PM2.5, annual mean3.59µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · uk-air.defra.gov.uk

Lower unemployment than any other United Kingdom city that publishes it and less recorded crime than 97% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Kirkwall?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Kirkwall.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Kirkwall. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€24

Mobile plan, 10 GB€13

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	24.02 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	BT Full Fibre 150¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack¹⁴Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	863.3 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price⁷Official · regional context

Is Kirkwall a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker56%strong on work, weak on legal route · range 45–67%

Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on education · range 51–69%

Student25%strong on legal route, weak on work · range 16–34%

Family48%strong on safety, weak on cost · range 39–57%

Retirement55%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 42–68%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Kirkwall?

The unemployment rate is 1.7 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk¹⁷

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Kirkwall is 1.7%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Kirkwall 1.7%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	2,855 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.ons.gov.uk¹⁶Official
Unemployment rate	1.7 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2023	www.ons.gov.uk¹⁷Official

What does a salary buy in Kirkwall?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,494of €2,395 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€2,395
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price · 2026-08-31	− €863
Internet€24 · official · BT Full Fibre 150 · 2026-09-30	− €24
Mobile plan€13 · official · Three 100GB one-month data pack · 2026-09-30	− €13
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,494

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Kirkwall Salary needed to live in Kirkwall

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Kirkwall. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim

Open official service

Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Kirkwall. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Scottish Government¹³Official
Schools	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Scottish Government¹³Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free.

A country-wide rule for United Kingdom; Kirkwall's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · 1996–2026.

Safety

How safe is Kirkwall?

Police recorded about 2,448 incidents per 100,000 (2025-26). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4¹¹

Recorded crime across major citiesKirkwall highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267

Bristol13,099

Liverpool12,409

Leeds11,462

Birmingham11,416

Leicester11,001

Sheffield9,693

Cardiff9,379

Belfast9,156

Coventry8,836

Glasgow757

Edinburgh549

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	2,448 incidents per 100,000country median 9,646	31 Dec 2025	Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4¹¹Official

Mobility and administration

Kirkwall's nearest airport was KOI, 4 km away and offered 11 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	11 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁸Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	4 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁹Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	KOI	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁹Official

Climate and air quality

Kirkwall's monthly mean temperatures were 4.4°C in January and 13.2°C in July. Kirkwall's monthly precipitation totalled 114.7 mm in January and 58.2 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 34.1 hours in January and 138.8 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Kirkwall?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.6 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 3.59 µg/m³ · uk-air.defra.gov.uk¹⁵

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

7°2°

8°3°

10°4°

12°6°

14°8°

16°10°

16°11°

14°9°

12°7°

9°4°

7°3°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

115

120

126

114

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

102

144

194

145

139

135

108

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.53.6WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Kirkwall is 3.6 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

211

487

200

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Kirkwall 3.6

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	3.59 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	uk-air.defra.gov.uk¹⁵Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Average daytime high by month	Jan 6.6 · Feb 6.8 · Mar 8 · Apr 9.9 · May 12.2 · Jun 14.2 · Jul 16.1 · Aug 16.2 · Sep 14.4 · Oct 11.6 · Nov 8.9 · Dec 7 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO²Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 2.3 · Feb 2.1 · Mar 2.7 · Apr 4.1 · May 5.8 · Jun 8.4 · Jul 10.3 · Aug 10.5 · Sep 9.2 · Oct 7 · Nov 4.5 · Dec 2.6 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO³Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 4.4 · Feb 4.4 · Mar 5.3 · Apr 7 · May 9 · Jun 11.3 · Jul 13.2 · Aug 13.4 · Sep 11.8 · Oct 9.3 · Nov 6.7 · Dec 4.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁴Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 114.7 · Feb 96.2 · Mar 86.7 · Apr 59.2 · May 53.8 · Jun 55.9 · Jul 58.2 · Aug 73 · Sep 90.7 · Oct 119.8 · Nov 126.1 · Dec 114.3 mm	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 34.1 · Feb 64 · Mar 102 · Apr 144.3 · May 193.5 · Jun 145 · Jul 138.8 · Aug 134.6 · Sep 107.8 · Oct 76.3 · Nov 44 · Dec 26.1 hours	31 Dec 1991	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO⁶Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Bradford ±1.1 °C. Elsewhere: Cork (Ireland) ±1.6 °C, Eutin (Germany) ±2.5 °C, Heide (Germany) ±2.5 °C, Meldorf (Germany) ±2.5 °C, Neustadt in Holstein (Germany) ±2.5 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Kirkwall?

The published population was 7,500 people in June 2020. Source: Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2¹⁰

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	7,500 people	30 Jun 2020	Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2¹⁰Official

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Universities	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Scottish Funding Council¹²Official

Alternatives for people set on Kirkwall

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Kirkwall from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Kirkwall, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities

Abersychan7,495 residents Goldthorpe7,490 residents Ruddington7,490 residents Pinkneys Green7,516 residents Westgate on Sea7,517 residents Freshwater7,520 residents

How does Kirkwall compare?

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Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kirkwall under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Kirkwall's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Kirkwall?

The published population was 7,500 people in June 2020. Source: Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2.

Is the air quality good in Kirkwall?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.6 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: uk-air.defra.gov.uk.

How safe is Kirkwall?

What is the unemployment rate in Kirkwall?

The unemployment rate is 1.7 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary around Kirkwall?

The median gross salary is 2,855 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

Is Kirkwall a good place to live?

Kirkwall may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Kirkwall, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 841783fcd252029a1fd9ea2c91f88a95]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/kirkwall/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kirkwall-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_26d10a40d116,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kirkwall, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {841783fcd252029a1fd9ea2c91f88a95},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/kirkwall/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Kirkwall, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/kirkwall/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 841783fcd252029a1fd9ea2c91f88a95; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-25
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 · nrscotland.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-23

Show 7 more sources

Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4 gov.scot · checked 2026-10-05
Scottish Funding Council sfc.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
Scottish Government gov.scot · checked 2026-08-03
Three 100GB one-month data pack three.co.uk · checked 2026-09-15
uk-air.defra.gov.uk uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

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