# Watling

South west Milton Keynes. About 18,868 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 9.3 square kilometres.

Watling had 17,659 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05016606. In: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east) › [Milton Keynes](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes)

## Key figures

- **Population: 17,659** (2021). Watling had 17,659 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 356th most populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 26%** (2022). About 26% of people in Watling live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 98.9%** (January 2026). In Watling, 98.9% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 3.0%** (August 2026). In Watling, 3.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E05016606) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 26% of people in Watling live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices?place=E05016606) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Milton Keynes. The outline is Watling.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E05016606) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Watling.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E05016606) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Watling had 17,659 usual residents at the census.

## How Watling compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Watling | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 17,659 | 2nd most populated | 21 wards, Milton Keynes · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 26% | 10th most people in radon Affected Areas | 21 wards, Milton Keynes · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 98.9% | 4th highest | 21 wards, Milton Keynes · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 3.0% | joint 5th lowest | 21 wards, Milton Keynes · Aug 2026 |

## Is Watling safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Watling at a rate of 76.9 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 99.4 per 1,000 people across Milton Keynes.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 182 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Watling.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (661), other crime (223) and anti-social behaviour (179).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of Milton Keynes

These figures are published for the whole of Milton Keynes, not for each ward, so they describe all of Milton Keynes and not Watling alone. [See Milton Keynes](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes)

- **Average house price: £323,868** (August 2026). Milton Keynes’s average house price was £323,868 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 0.5% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £41,389** (2025). Full-time workers living in Milton Keynes earned a median of £41,389 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 112th highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 7.8×** (2025). A home in Milton Keynes costs 7.8 times local full-time pay. Joint 140th least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 18.5** (2025). Milton Keynes has a deprivation score of 18.5 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 140th least deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Watling in brief

Watling had 17,659 usual residents at the census.
About 26% of people in Watling live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Watling, 98.9% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Watling, 3.0% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05016606
- Constituency: [Milton Keynes Central †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/milton-keynes-central)
- Council: [Milton Keynes](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes)
- Region: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 9.34 km²
- People, mid-2024: 18,868*
- Neighbourhoods: 10
- Output areas: 52

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Furzton](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/furzton), [Stony Stratford](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/stony-stratford), [Bradwell](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/bradwell), [Central Milton Keynes](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/central-milton-keynes), [Horwood](https://openindex.co.uk/buckinghamshire/ward/horwood), [Tattenhoe](https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/tattenhoe)

## Latest updates for Watling

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E05016606

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling#f-population.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/milton-keynes/ward/watling