# Whitburn and Blackburn The middle of the West Lothian. About 21,097 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 38 square kilometres. Whitburn and Blackburn had 20,803 usual residents at the census (Scotland's Census 2022). Ward. Code S13002826. In: [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/scotland) › [West Lothian](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian) ## Key figures - **Population: 20,803** (2021). Whitburn and Blackburn had 20,803 usual residents at the census (Scotland's Census 2022). 159th 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/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn#f-population - **People in radon Affected Area squares: 6%** (2022). About 6% of people in Whitburn and Blackburn 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/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn#f-radon-affected-share - **Gigabit broadband coverage: 93.5%** (January 2026). In Whitburn and Blackburn, 93.5% 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/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn#f-gigabit-coverage - **Claimant rate: 3.6%** (August 2026). In Whitburn and Blackburn, 3.6% 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/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn#f-claimant-rate ## On the map - [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=S13002826) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 6% of people in Whitburn and Blackburn 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=S13002826) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of West Lothian. The outline is Whitburn and Blackburn. - [Crimes by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/scotland-crime-count?place=S13002826) (Recorded crimes and offences in Scotland · 2025/26): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of West Lothian. The outline is Whitburn and Blackburn. - [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=S13002826) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Whitburn and Blackburn had 20,803 usual residents at the census. ## How Whitburn and Blackburn compares Each ward against every other ward the measure covers. | Measure | Whitburn and Blackburn | Rank | Compared with | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Population | 20,803 | 4th least populated | 9 wards, West Lothian · 2021 | | People in radon Affected Area squares | 6% | 3rd most people in radon Affected Areas | 9 wards, West Lothian · 2022 | | Gigabit broadband coverage | 93.5% | 4th highest | 9 wards, West Lothian · Jan 2026 | | Claimant rate | 3.6% | highest | 9 wards, West Lothian · Aug 2026 | ## What is the population of Whitburn and Blackburn? Whitburn and Blackburn had 20,803 usual residents at the census. Whitburn and Blackburn is the 159th most populated of 8,397 in the UK. ## Figures for the whole of West Lothian These figures are published for the whole of West Lothian, not for each ward, so they describe all of West Lothian and not Whitburn and Blackburn alone. [See West Lothian](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian) - **Average house price: £225,439** (August 2026). West Lothian’s average house price was £225,439 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 2.2% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026. - **Median full-time pay: £40,134** (2025). Full-time workers living in West Lothian earned a median of £40,134 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 134th highest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025. - **House price to pay: 5.6×** (2025). A home in West Lothian costs 5.6 times local full-time pay. Joint 66th most affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026. - **Population estimate: 187,240** (2025). West Lothian’s population was an estimated 187,240 in mid-2025 (ONS population estimates). Up 0.6% in a year. Source: Mid-year population estimates, 2025. Published 1 October 2026. ## Whitburn and Blackburn in brief Whitburn and Blackburn had 20,803 usual residents at the census. About 6% of people in Whitburn and Blackburn live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. In Whitburn and Blackburn, 93.5% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026. In Whitburn and Blackburn, 3.6% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026. ## About - Type: Ward - Code: S13002826 - Constituency: [Bathgate and Linlithgow †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/bathgate-and-linlithgow) - Council: [West Lothian](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian) - Nation: [Scotland](https://openindex.co.uk/scotland) - Area: 38.03 km² - People, mid-2024: 21,097* - Neighbourhoods: 30 - Output areas: 186 * 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 [Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/fauldhouse-and-the-breich-valley), [Fortissat](https://openindex.co.uk/north-lanarkshire/ward/fortissat), [Bathgate](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/bathgate), [Armadale and Blackridge](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/armadale-and-blackridge), [Livingston North](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/livingston-north), [Livingston South](https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/livingston-south) ## Latest updates for Whitburn and Blackburn - August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026. - September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026. - Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026. - GP practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026. The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/S13002826 ## How to cite Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn#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/west-lothian/ward/whitburn-and-blackburn