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Living in Kirkwall

Kirkwall is a city in the United Kingdom.

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 or cost figure is published for Kirkwall yet. United Kingdom has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Kirkwall is 1.7%. Of 384 cities with data, 230 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band9 cities: 0% to under 2%90–2Kirkwall 1.7%230 cities: 2% to under 4%2302–4107 cities: 4% to under 6%1074–630 cities: 6% to under 8%306–84 cities: 8% to under 10%48–103 cities: 10% to under 12%310–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)3,399 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.ons.gov.uk11Official
Unemployment rate1.7 %country median 3.5%31 Dec 2023www.ons.gov.uk12Official

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count0 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Government9Official
School Count0 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Government9Official

Mobility and administration

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count11 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights6Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km4 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports7Official
Nearest Major Airport IataKOI3 Aug 2026OurAirports7Official

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.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Kirkwall average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°JFMAMJJASOND16°2°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Kirkwall average monthly precipitation, mm035701051401159687595456587391120126114JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Kirkwall average monthly sunshine, hours0501001502003464102144194145139135108764426JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Kirkwall annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5253.6PM2.5µg/m³

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

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomOf 104 cities with data, 52 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in United Kingdom per band1 city: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³14–522 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³225–652 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³526–727 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³277–82 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³28–9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean3.59 µg/m³31 Dec 2024uk-air.defra.gov.uk10Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Average daytime high by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO1Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO2Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 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 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO3Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 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 mm31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO4Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 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 hours31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO5Official · nearest-station reading

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 worker57%strong on work, weak on safety · range 46–68%
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on safety · range 50–70%
Student43%strong on legal route, weak on safety · range 33–53%
Family43%strong on family, weak on safety · range 32–54%
Retirement52%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 38–66%
Median gross salary (regional)3,399 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Unemployment rate1.7 %31 Dec 2023Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
PM2.5 — annual mean3.59 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · uk-air.defra.gov.uk
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Official source · Scottish Funding Council
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-27

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Funding Council8Official

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.

Common questions

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

What is the typical salary around Kirkwall?

The median gross salary is 3,399 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the unemployment rate in Kirkwall?

The unemployment rate is 1.7 %. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

Is the air quality good in Kirkwall?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3.59 µg/m³. The WHO 2021 guideline is 5 µg/m³ and the EU limit value is 25 µg/m³, so this reading is within the WHO guideline. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: uk-air.defra.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, September 12). Kirkwall, United Kingdom: salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/kirkwall/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kirkwall-united-kingdom-salary-jobs_c12bdf275c32,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kirkwall, United Kingdom: salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/kirkwall/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Kirkwall, United Kingdom: salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/kirkwall/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

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
  1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  3. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  4. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  5. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  6. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  7. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Scottish Funding Council sfc.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Scottish Government gov.scot · checked 2026-08-03
  10. uk-air.defra.gov.uk uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
Show 2 more sources
  1. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
  2. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

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