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Living in Lerwick

Lerwick is a city in the United Kingdom, and the figures below are its published values.

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

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

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Lerwick yet. United Kingdom has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Lerwick is 2.2%. 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%90–2230 cities: 2% to under 4%2302–4Lerwick 2.2%107 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)3,462 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.ons.gov.uk10Official
Unemployment rate2.2 %country median 3.5%31 Dec 2023www.ons.gov.uk11Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Lerwick. 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

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count0 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Government8Official
School Count0 count3 Aug 2026Scottish Government8Official

Mobility and administration

Lerwick was 7 km from its nearest major airport.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km7 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports6Official
Nearest Major Airport IataLWK3 Aug 2026OurAirports6Official

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from 4.2°C in January to 12.2°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 150.4 mm in January and 67.7 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 27.4 hours in January and 128.6 hours in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Lerwick average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C10°20°JFMAMJJASOND15°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Lerwick average monthly precipitation, mm040801201601501231096857606889106131143150JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Lerwick average monthly sunshine, hours050100150200275898141192148129132100753821JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Lerwick annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5253.2PM2.5µg/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 mean3.21 µg/m³31 Dec 2024uk-air.defra.gov.uk9Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context
Average daytime high by monthJan 6.1 · Feb 5.8 · Mar 6.7 · Apr 8.4 · May 10.6 · Jun 12.6 · Jul 14.4 · Aug 14.7 · Sep 13 · Oct 10.4 · Nov 8.1 · Dec 6.6 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO1Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 2.2 · Feb 1.8 · Mar 2.4 · Apr 3.8 · May 5.6 · Jun 8 · Jul 10.1 · Aug 10.5 · Sep 9.1 · Oct 6.6 · Nov 4.3 · Dec 2.5 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO2Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 4.2 · Feb 3.8 · Mar 4.6 · Apr 6.1 · May 8.1 · Jun 10.3 · Jul 12.2 · Aug 12.6 · Sep 11.1 · Oct 8.5 · Nov 6.2 · Dec 4.5 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO3Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 150.4 · Feb 122.7 · Mar 109.2 · Apr 67.8 · May 56.9 · Jun 59.8 · Jul 67.7 · Aug 88.6 · Sep 105.8 · Oct 130.6 · Nov 143.2 · Dec 149.7 mm31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO4Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 27.4 · Feb 57.6 · Mar 97.7 · Apr 141.2 · May 191.9 · Jun 147.7 · Jul 128.6 · Aug 132.4 · Sep 99.5 · Oct 75.1 · Nov 38.3 · Dec 20.6 hours31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO5Official · nearest-station reading

Is Lerwick 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 worker58%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–69%
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%
Retirement53%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 39–67%
Median gross salary (regional)3,462 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Unemployment rate2.2 %31 Dec 2023Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
PM2.5 — annual mean3.21 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 Council7Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Lerwick 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 Lerwick?

The median gross salary is 3,462 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the unemployment rate in Lerwick?

The unemployment rate is 2.2 %. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

Is the air quality good in Lerwick?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 3.21 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 Lerwick a good place to live?

Lerwick 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). Lerwick, United Kingdom: salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/lerwick/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_lerwick-united-kingdom-salary-jobs_318a6aa5b6cc,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Lerwick, 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/lerwick/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Lerwick, United Kingdom: salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/lerwick/) — 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. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Scottish Funding Council sfc.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Scottish Government gov.scot · checked 2026-08-03
  9. uk-air.defra.gov.uk uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26
  10. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
Show 1 more source
  1. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.