# Melksham South

West Wiltshire. About 4,571 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 1.2 square kilometres.

Melksham South had 4,579 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05016254. In: [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/south-west) › [Wiltshire](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire)

## Key figures

- **Population: 4,579** (2021). Melksham South had 4,579 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 2,384th least 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/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 0%** (2022). About 0% of people in Melksham South 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/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 95.9%** (January 2026). In Melksham South, 95.9% 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/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 2.9%** (August 2026). In Melksham South, 2.9% 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/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E05016254) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 0% of people in Melksham South 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=E05016254) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of Wiltshire. The outline is Melksham South.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E05016254) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Melksham South.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E05016254) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Melksham South had 4,579 usual residents at the census.

## How Melksham South compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Melksham South | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 4,579 | 14th least populated | 98 wards, Wiltshire · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 0% | joint fewest people in radon Affected Areas | 98 wards, Wiltshire · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 95.9% | joint 18th highest | 98 wards, Wiltshire · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 2.9% | joint 17th highest | 98 wards, Wiltshire · Aug 2026 |

## Is Melksham South safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Melksham South at a rate of 93.9 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 60.3 per 1,000 people across Wiltshire.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 36 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Melksham South.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (127), anti-social behaviour (115) and other crime (66).
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 Wiltshire

These figures are published for the whole of Wiltshire, not for each ward, so they describe all of Wiltshire and not Melksham South alone. [See Wiltshire](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire)

- **Average house price: £328,102** (August 2026). Wiltshire’s average house price was £328,102 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 1.5% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £37,811** (2025). Full-time workers living in Wiltshire earned a median of £37,811 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 151st lowest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 8.7×** (2025). A home in Wiltshire costs 8.7 times local full-time pay. Joint 98th 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: 13.6** (2025). Wiltshire has a deprivation score of 13.6 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). 72nd least deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Melksham South in brief

Melksham South had 4,579 usual residents at the census.
About 0% of people in Melksham South live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Melksham South, 95.9% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Melksham South, 2.9% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05016254
- Constituency: [Melksham and Devizes †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/melksham-and-devizes)
- Council: [Wiltshire](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire)
- Region: [South West](https://openindex.co.uk/south-west)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 1.21 km²
- People, mid-2024: 4,571*
- Neighbourhoods: 3
- Output areas: 17

* 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

[Melksham Without West & Rural](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/melksham-without-west-and-rural), [Melksham Forest](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/melksham-forest), [Melksham East](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/melksham-east), [Bowerhill](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/bowerhill), [Melksham Without North & Shurnhold](https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/melksham-without-north-and-shurnhold)

## Latest updates for Melksham South

- 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/E05016254

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south#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/wiltshire/ward/melksham-south