Living in Scarborough

Police recorded 90 crimes per 1,000 residents in Scarborough in the year to April 2026, above the average of 82 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 13.8% of households rent from the council or a housing association, below the UK average of 17.5%. About 5.2% of homes are in areas where road or rail noise reaches 65 dB, against 6.9% across Great Britain. 56% of homes are within a five-minute walk of a public park (Great Britain: 56%).

Scarborough at a glance

How much crime is there in Scarborough?

From May 2025 to April 2026, police recorded 9,728 crimes in Scarborough — 90 per 1,000 residents, above the average of 82 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the 92nd highest of 327 councils. That is 9% more than in the previous 12 months. The most common offences were violence and sexual offences (49%), shoplifting (13%) and criminal damage and arson (11%). Police also logged 3,632 incidents of anti-social behaviour (33 per 1,000 residents).

Rates are per resident, so council areas with busy city centres, shopping or nightlife districts show higher rates than residents alone would suggest. See where crime is recorded on the map →

How much social housing is there in Scarborough?

Scarborough ranks 218th of 374 UK local authorities by social-housing share. Of its 51,128 households, 7,055 are social homes (13.8%) — renting from the council or a housing association, according to the 2021–22 Census.

How does Scarborough compare with the UK average?

At -3.7 percentage points versus the UK average of 17.5%, Scarborough sits below the national level.

How noisy is Scarborough?

In Scarborough, about 5.2% of homes are in areas where modelled road or rail noise reaches 65 dB L_den or more — the level Defra and the WHO treat as high. The Great Britain average is 6.9%, and Scarborough is the 181st quietest of 363 councils mapped.

Estimated from the official strategic noise maps: the share of each census area at 65 dB or more, weighted by its households. See noisy roads and railways on the map →

How close are parks in Scarborough?

56% of homes in Scarborough are within 400 m — about a five-minute walk — of a public park or garden, and 56% are that close to a children's play space. Across Great Britain the figures are 56% and 60%, which puts Scarborough 145th of 363 councils for access to a park.

Straight-line distance from the centre of each census area to the edge of the nearest site in OS Open Greenspace, weighted by households. See parks and play spaces on the map →