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Shetland Islands Counts — Shetland Islands, in numbers.Local help →
Shetland Islands Counts

Shetland Islands, in numbers

Average home prices reached £179,000 in Shetland Islands.

Shetland Islands council area. July 2026. Every figure carries its own date.

Shetland’s ferry works, housing infrastructure and routes to vocational learning all affect whether people can live and work across the islands. Weather, construction defects and onward travel need to remain visible alongside investment headlines.

The short version

Average home price over time

January 2004 to July 2026

Shetland Islands council area · Cash prices, before allowing for inflation

Reviewed figures: January 2004 to July 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.

Shown on this chart: £56,922 in January 2004; £179,493 in July 2026. 215.3% higher between these observations.

The line joins consecutive published observations.

Full history context

Average home prices rose from £57,000 to £179,000 between January 2004 and July 2026.

July 2025 to July 2026: £14,000 less per home (7% lower).

Cash prices, before allowing for inflation. Changes do not show affordability without local earnings and household circumstances.

Data table and workings

Published UK House Price Index average price, all property types and all buyers, not seasonally adjusted. Entire series comes from the 2026-07 official full-file release, preserving its historical revisions and exact area codes. It is a mix-adjusted average, not the median price paid.

Prices are in pounds at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

Whole local authority area; not a typical home listing or the budget needed by a first-time buyer.

Provisional estimates can be revised. Historical boundaries follow the exact published source code; no old-code series has been relabelled.

The table retains the full reviewed history when the chart is shortened. Preset ranges end at this measure’s latest published period. Yearly windows count published annual periods; monthly windows count months. Gaps are never filled with estimates.

Average home price over time — Shetland Islands council area: full reviewed history
Period£
January 200456,922
February 200447,374
March 200446,310
April 200446,315
May 200447,734
June 200449,708
July 200449,143
August 200453,727
September 200454,581
October 200450,174
November 200448,678
December 200450,693
January 200562,008
February 200569,649
March 200572,392
April 200563,996
May 200560,439
June 200556,251
July 200560,016
August 200557,095
September 200562,265
October 200562,853
November 200566,423
December 200559,839
January 200663,696
February 200660,454
March 200664,694
April 200655,316
May 200663,671
June 200665,849
July 200670,289
August 200664,953
September 200662,544
October 200662,958
November 200664,586
December 200674,838
January 200783,985
February 200783,620
March 200783,958
April 200779,716
May 200778,634
June 200776,821
July 200784,515
August 200797,116
September 2007100,943
October 200791,632
November 200780,732
December 200777,523
January 200883,911
February 200896,798
March 2008100,583
April 200896,109
May 200885,623
June 200874,737
July 200887,356
August 200891,679
September 200893,852
October 200886,275
November 200882,012
December 200879,825
January 200979,192
February 200988,483
March 200991,005
April 200987,456
May 200980,473
June 200992,440
July 2009105,480
August 2009106,478
September 2009100,510
October 200985,231
November 200996,380
December 200994,932
January 201095,050
February 201085,101
March 201082,484
April 201081,132
May 201084,950
June 2010101,410
July 2010110,889
August 2010112,446
September 201098,791
October 201099,924
November 201097,065
December 2010102,736
January 201197,103
February 2011105,958
March 2011102,229
April 2011111,783
May 2011106,183
June 2011108,642
July 2011113,836
August 2011106,907
September 2011113,073
October 2011107,962
November 2011116,183
December 2011112,408
January 2012111,267
February 2012102,165
March 2012100,411
April 2012106,341
May 2012110,991
June 2012111,337
July 201295,109
August 201293,263
September 201298,365
October 2012112,756
November 2012114,384
December 2012105,381
January 201394,186
February 201388,222
March 201390,182
April 201391,155
May 201398,110
June 2013102,022
July 2013111,375
August 2013115,425
September 2013115,431
October 2013117,180
November 2013117,390
December 2013116,088
January 2014117,602
February 2014108,477
March 2014114,776
April 2014100,177
May 2014106,620
June 201498,987
July 2014103,855
August 2014107,954
September 2014108,342
October 2014121,409
November 2014120,337
December 2014131,803
January 2015123,548
February 2015133,695
March 2015124,203
April 2015133,243
May 2015126,346
June 2015134,378
July 2015129,536
August 2015114,537
September 2015113,889
October 2015113,839
November 2015127,186
December 2015131,400
January 2016138,403
February 2016135,008
March 2016132,540
April 2016136,675
May 2016153,170
June 2016150,942
July 2016146,093
August 2016132,548
September 2016127,703
October 2016125,746
November 2016137,745
December 2016161,408
January 2017162,872
February 2017166,219
March 2017145,719
April 2017141,433
May 2017134,715
June 2017144,678
July 2017149,652
August 2017143,822
September 2017139,309
October 2017133,807
November 2017149,465
December 2017151,498
January 2018160,081
February 2018149,822
March 2018153,513
April 2018154,763
May 2018174,596
June 2018172,745
July 2018165,338
August 2018151,179
September 2018138,603
October 2018136,023
November 2018123,322
December 2018133,978
January 2019131,153
February 2019148,409
March 2019151,375
April 2019154,744
May 2019142,220
June 2019146,698
July 2019163,569
August 2019166,257
September 2019158,792
October 2019144,702
November 2019146,381
December 2019129,302
January 2020134,279
February 2020137,565
March 2020157,165
April 2020153,776
May 2020137,956
June 2020111,585
July 2020118,149
August 2020139,547
September 2020169,383
October 2020168,818
November 2020150,920
December 2020152,200
January 2021147,820
February 2021161,025
March 2021163,038
April 2021172,538
May 2021180,664
June 2021174,222
July 2021159,863
August 2021147,920
September 2021150,658
October 2021164,444
November 2021171,013
December 2021159,675
January 2022157,288
February 2022160,857
March 2022178,553
April 2022180,377
May 2022191,043
June 2022195,344
July 2022186,403
August 2022183,924
September 2022174,441
October 2022191,520
November 2022196,264
December 2022198,879
January 2023200,710
February 2023188,241
March 2023192,184
April 2023179,146
May 2023171,460
June 2023163,457
July 2023165,187
August 2023165,814
September 2023162,861
October 2023162,929
November 2023167,952
December 2023176,200
January 2024194,416
February 2024190,031
March 2024194,305
April 2024181,942
May 2024192,856
June 2024195,890
July 2024194,528
August 2024205,565
September 2024198,855
October 2024197,809
November 2024183,023
December 2024183,281
January 2025192,344
February 2025201,475
March 2025216,406
April 2025217,960
May 2025204,782
June 2025199,552
July 2025193,002
August 2025203,712
September 2025192,224
October 2025208,106
November 2025186,009
December 2025187,543
January 2026169,316
February 2026179,318
March 2026183,855
April 2026193,141
May 2026195,421
June 2026188,163
July 2026179,493
Source →

People living in the area

22,710

Mid-2025 · Shetland Islands council area

Show the workings

Published mid-year estimate for the whole local authority area. This is not automatically the population of the named city settlement.

All usual residents

Source and method →

Average home price

£179,000

July 2026 · Shetland Islands council area

Show the workings

Published UK House Price Index average price, all property types and all buyers, not seasonally adjusted. Entire series comes from the 2026-07 official full-file release, preserving its historical revisions and exact area codes. It is a mix-adjusted average, not the median price paid.

Shown to the nearest £1,000. Published value: £179,493.

Homes in the local authority area

Source and method →
Compare nearby places and Scotland →

Look beneath the average

People aged 65 or over

19.3% to 29%

People aged 65 or over ranged from 19.3% in Shetland North to 29% in North Isles — a gap of 9.7 percentage points.

20 March 2022 · 7 of 7 current wards with comparable figures.

Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 65 or over · 20 March 2022
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Shetland North19.3%6413,329
Shetland Central19.9%8384,220
Lerwick North and Bressay20.1%6153,058
Shetland South20.9%8353,989
Shetland West21.5%3721,731
Lerwick South23.5%9404,004
North Isles29%7692,654
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 16+ with no qualifications

11% to 20.9%

People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11% in Shetland South to 20.9% in North Isles — a gap of 9.9 percentage points.

20 March 2022 · 7 of 7 current wards with comparable figures.

Formal qualifications are only one part of someone's skills. Training decisions also need current vacancies, employment and residents' experience.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with no qualifications · 20 March 2022
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
Shetland South11%3553,219
Shetland Central11.8%3963,367
Shetland West12.7%1771,395
Shetland North14.8%3932,648
Lerwick South15.1%5003,316
Lerwick North and Bressay16.4%4362,654
North Isles20.9%4652,221
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →

People aged 16+ with a degree or higher

26.5% to 34.4%

People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 26.5% in North Isles to 34.4% in Shetland South — a gap of 7.9 percentage points.

20 March 2022 · 7 of 7 current wards with comparable figures.

Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work. Scotland uses its own qualification categories.

See each ward and the workings

These are separate ward percentages, not an average of them. Boundaries: May 2026. Missing or differently defined figures are excluded from this range and stay visible on the ward pages.

People aged 16+ with a degree or higher · 20 March 2022
WardShareCountPopulation or households covered
North Isles26.5%5882,221
Shetland North26.8%7102,648
Lerwick South27.7%9183,316
Lerwick North and Bressay29%7692,654
Shetland Central31.1%1,0463,367
Shetland West31.2%4351,395
Shetland South34.4%1,1083,219
Source and method →
What could respond to this pattern →
Explore all 7 wards →

What could change things?

The action plan connects local evidence to proposed next steps. Announced projects and proposed responses are shown separately.

weakness

Keep ferry reliability tied to shore works

Fair Isle’s replacement programme includes harbour works and repairs.

A new vessel needs safe, usable shoreside facilities.

Evidence

What could help →

opportunity

Turn serviced land into homes people can use

Knab infrastructure works prepare land for housing.

The next result needs to be suitable occupied homes.

Evidence

What could help →
Read the action plan →

Local work to follow

Fair Isle and Grutness

Fair Isle ferry and harbour replacement

The council reports harbour construction progress, weather disruption and remedial work needed to rock armour.

Construction and remedial work; final commissioning not established. · source does not state a status date

Responsible body: Shetland Islands Council

What the source says: The council reports harbour construction progress, weather disruption and remedial work needed to rock armour.

Progress, funding and source
Cost
Not established by the evidence checked.
Funding
Not established by the evidence checked.
Area covered
The named location is verified, but a current ward boundary match and the extent of benefits have not been verified. No ward-level outcome is inferred.

No verified ward footprint is assigned.

Briefing Note Template →

Source checked 2026-10-17. A plan or announcement is not proof of completion.

Keep ferry reliability tied to shore works →

Make weather delays and repairs part of the timetable →

Target safety work where problems repeat →

How to track delivery →

Knab, Lerwick

Knab housing infrastructure

Infrastructure works provide serviced land for a first housing phase, including drainage and electricity connections.

Infrastructure construction reported; completed homes not implied. · source does not state a status date

Responsible body: Shetland Islands Council

What the source says: Infrastructure works provide serviced land for a first housing phase, including drainage and electricity connections.

Progress, funding and source
Cost
Not established by the evidence checked.
Funding
Not established by the evidence checked.
Area covered
The named location is verified, but a current ward boundary match and the extent of benefits have not been verified. No ward-level outcome is inferred.

No verified ward footprint is assigned.

Highlights and Challenges →

Source checked 2026-10-17. A plan or announcement is not proof of completion.

Turn serviced land into homes people can use →

Make room for homes people can afford →

How to track delivery →

Routes to Lerwick, Mareel and Scalloway campuses

Skills for Work transport

Published transport arrangements connect school pupils with vocational courses at different campuses.

Operational arrangements for the 2026/27 school year. · source does not state a status date

Responsible body: Shetland Islands Council

What the source says: Published transport arrangements connect school pupils with vocational courses at different campuses.

Progress, funding and source
Cost
Not established by the evidence checked.
Funding
Not established by the evidence checked.
Area covered
The named location is verified, but a current ward boundary match and the extent of benefits have not been verified. No ward-level outcome is inferred.

No verified ward footprint is assigned.

Skills for Work Transport – Shetland Islands Council →

Source checked 2026-10-17. A plan or announcement is not proof of completion.

Keep practical training reachable →

Connect local skills to local opportunities →

How to track delivery →
All reviewed projects →

What this local evidence covers

3 reviewed plans and projects

0 have a source-dated stage; 0 have some funding evidence; 0 have some cost evidence. These counts do not prove that funding or costs are complete.

Check each project →

0 verified ward links

Project locations cannot be treated as a map of who benefits. Each record explains any verified ward association.

Read the sources and limits →
What is still missing

The reviewed local schemes are a selected evidence collection, not a complete council capital programme.

Current service capacity, incomes, waiting lists, school demand and project outcomes need additional verified local evidence before firm claims can be made.

Project locations have not been assigned to current wards without a verified boundary match.

The proposed action sequence is UK Facts analysis, not a council commitment.

Announcements, permissions, construction and completed facilities are distinguished; benefits are not treated as measured outcomes.