# M46

Postcode district covering Atherton, Hag Fold and Howe Bridge, in Wigan.

M46 is a postcode district covering Atherton, Hag Fold and Howe Bridge, in Wigan. Median sale price £187,500 in 2025. About 24,103 people.

Postcode district. Code M46. In: [Postcodes](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode) › [M](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m)

Approximate outline worked out by Open Index from the ONS Postcode Directory: each census output area belongs to the district that holds most of its postcodes. People, homes, recorded crime and broadband add up those output areas. House sales count every sale with an M46 postcode. [How census figures are added up](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/population)

## Key figures

- **Median sale price: £187,500** (2025). The median price paid for a home in M46 was £187,500 in 2025. Joint 296th cheapest of 2,235. Source: Worked out by Open Index from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Published 28 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m46#f-house-sales-median-price
- **Population: 23,270** (2021). M46 had 23,270 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 1,267th most populated of 2,756. 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/postcode/m46#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 85%** (2022). About 85% of people in M46 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/postcode/m46#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 94.7%** (January 2026). In M46, 94.7% 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/postcode/m46#f-gigabit-coverage

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=M46) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 85% of people in M46 live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Sales per year by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-sales-per-year?place=M46) (Worked out by Open Index · 2025): 381 homes were sold in M46 in 2025.
- [Population by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=M46) (Census 2021, England and Wales): M46 had 23,270 usual residents at the census.
- [Deprivation score by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/deprivation-score-england?place=M46) (English Indices of Deprivation 2025): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Wigan, where most of this postcode district lies. The outline is M46.

## How M46 compares

Each postcode district against every other postcode district the measure covers.

| Measure | M46 | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Median sale price | £187,500 | 5th cheapest | 40 postcode districts, M · 2025 |
| Population | 23,270 | 16th least populated | 45 postcode districts, M · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 85% | 4th most people in radon Affected Areas | 45 postcode districts, M · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 94.7% | 23rd highest | 45 postcode districts, M · Jan 2026 |

## What is the population of M46?

M46 had 23,270 usual residents at the census.
M46 is the 1,267th most populated of 2,756 in the UK.

## Deprivation in M46, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

- Deprivation is ranked by neighbourhood, so M46 has no single figure. Of its 13 neighbourhoods with a rank:
- Decile 1 (England’s most deprived 10%): 3 neighbourhoods
- Decile 2: 1 neighbourhood
- Decile 3: 2 neighbourhoods
- Decile 4: 1 neighbourhood
- Decile 6: 1 neighbourhood
- Decile 7: 2 neighbourhoods
- Decile 8: 2 neighbourhoods
- Decile 9: 1 neighbourhood

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025. Decile 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods in England.

## Neighbourhoods in M46

| Area | People (census) | Recorded crime per 1,000 | Deprivation decile | Gigabit broadband |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Bolton 030B](https://openindex.co.uk/bolton/neighbourhood/e01004896) | 1,315 | – | 9 | 95.8% |
| [Wigan 017A](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006239) | 2,082 | – | 1 | 97.0% |
| [Wigan 017B](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006240) | 1,573 | – | 1 | 98.5% |
| [Wigan 017C](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006241) | 2,539 | – | 3 | 94.1% |
| [Wigan 017D](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006287) | 1,143 | – | 8 | 98.6% |
| [Wigan 017E](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006289) | 1,689 | – | 1 | 98.5% |
| [Wigan 022A](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006290) | 1,389 | – | 7 | 96.6% |
| [Wigan 022B](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006291) | 1,463 | – | 3 | 99.3% |
| [Wigan 022C](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006292) | 1,500 | – | 6 | 98.5% |
| [Wigan 023A](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006242) | 1,931 | – | 4 | 94.6% |
| [Wigan 023B](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006243) | 2,120 | – | 8 | 97.4% |
| [Wigan 023C](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006244) | 1,676 | – | 2 | 90.1% |
| [Wigan 023D](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/neighbourhood/e01006245) | 2,629 | – | 7 | 82.7% |

## Your MP

- [Leigh and Atherton](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/leigh-and-atherton): Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op)), MP since July 2024. 96% of the people here.
- [Bolton West](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/bolton-west): Phil Brickell (Labour), MP since July 2024. 4.2% of the people here.

As of 18 October 2026. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Source: UK Parliament, Members API.

## Middle areas in M46

[Atherton North](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/atherton-north), [Atherton South East & Tyldesley West](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/atherton-south-east-and-tyldesley-west), [Atherton South West](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan/atherton-south-west)

## Postcode sectors in M46

[M46 0 (281 postcodes)](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m46-0), [M46 6 (1 postcode)](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m46-6), [M46 9 (295 postcodes)](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m46-9)

## Council

[Wigan](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan)

## Towns in M46

[Atherton](https://openindex.co.uk/town/atherton)

## Postcode districts next to M46

[BL5](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/bl5), [M29](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m29), [WN7](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/wn7)

## Nearest rail stations

[Hag Fold (1.0 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-2.4948,53.5339), [Atherton (1.4 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-2.4790,53.5291), [Daisy Hill (1.9 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-2.5159,53.5395), [Westhoughton (3.8 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-2.5237,53.5557)

## More in the M postcode area

[All M postcode districts](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m), [Every UK postcode area](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode)

## M46 in brief

M46 is a postcode district covering Atherton, Hag Fold and Howe Bridge, in Wigan.
About 24,103 people lived in M46 in mid-2024 (worked out by Open Index from ONS small-area estimates); the median price paid for a home was £187,500 in 2025 across 381 sales (HM Land Registry).
The median price paid for a home in M46 was £187,500 in 2025.
M46 had 23,270 usual residents at the census.
About 85% of people in M46 live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In M46, 94.7% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.

## About

- Type: Postcode district
- Code: M46
- Postcode area: [M](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m)
- Constituency: [Leigh and Atherton †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/leigh-and-atherton)
- Council: [Wigan †](https://openindex.co.uk/wigan)
- Area: 9.15 km²
- People, mid-2024: 24,103*
- Neighbourhoods: 13
- Output areas: 75

* 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, council, region and nation this postcode district mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow theirs.

## Next door

[BL5](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/bl5), [WN7](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/wn7), [M29](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m29)

## Latest updates for M46

- 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/M46

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m46, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/m46#f-house-sales-median-price.

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/postcode/m46