Photo: Dr John Wells CC-BY West Lothian Archaeology · CC BY 3.0More residents with no religion than 97% of UK towns: 54%
Across Scotland’s towns, the share of households with dependent children is 24%; Armadale has 32%. The town had 12,590 residents in 5,476 households at the 2022 Census. The share of residents aged 65 and over stands at 16%. Few places have as many households in flats: 19% here, more than in just over four fifths of UK towns.
A median age of 40.4: Armadale is younger than 78% of UK towns
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
50–54 is the most common age band: nearly one in ten residents. Few places have as many residents aged 15 to 24: 11% here, more than in four fifths of UK towns.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Armadale, 40.4. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
Full-time students make up 6% in Armadale, more than in 85% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
In Armadale, 30% of adults work in managerial and professional jobs and 29% in routine and semi-routine work, against 33% and 25% across Scotland’s towns. Measured more widely, nearly one in ten adults are full-time students across Scotland’s towns.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
1.7% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home, below 85% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against West Lothian’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
One-person households make up 32%, against 38% across Scotland’s towns. Households average 2.3 people. As a reference point, 3.5% of households are unrelated adults sharing a home across Scotland’s towns.
21% of households have no car or van, more than in 76% of UK towns
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2022. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
The figure for households in terraced houses is 23% in Armadale and 19% across Scotland’s towns. As a reference point, 29% of households have no car or van across Scotland’s towns.
A lower share of residents whose main language is English than 70% of UK towns, at 96%
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2022.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
Where just over a third of those born abroad across Scotland’s towns arrived in 2017 or later, here the share is 14%. Against that, 94% of residents have English as their main language across Scotland’s towns. The two biggest birthplaces abroad are in EU countries (4.1%) and in Africa (1.1%).
A lower share of residents who describe themselves as Christian than 94% of UK towns, at 39%
How residents described themselves at the 2022 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 92% of Armadale · West Lothian’s towns 88% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
The next-largest groups, after White British, are Other White (4.9%), African (1%) and Mixed or multiple (0.9%). Across Scotland’s towns, 86% of residents describe themselves as White British; in Armadale, 92%.
Armadale sits above 70% of UK towns for adults who have never married (36%)
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 3 and over), Census 2022.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 3 and over
Here 46% of adults are married or in a civil partnership, where the figure across Scotland’s towns is 42%. The benchmark for adults who have never married across Scotland’s towns: 40%. Unpaid carers: 12% of the total.
Qualified to degree level: 22% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across Scotland’s towns, 17% of adults have no qualification; in Armadale, 17%, while 22% hold one at degree level (32%).
Ranked by age, 62nd youngest of 383 UK towns this size
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
The youngest is Aberystwyth (25) and the oldest Sidmouth (60.4). Nearest to Armadale in age: Connah's Quay (40.4), Haverfordwest (40.4), Towcester (40.5) and Newhaven (40.6).
5 in 7 nearby towns have a higher median age than Armadale
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armadale | 12,590 | — | 40.4 | 16% | 32% |
| Whitburn | 11,772 | 2.3 mi | 40.7 | 18% | 26% |
| Bathgate | 22,229 | 2.4 mi | 40.4 | 15% | 29% |
| Harthill | 2,613 | 3.2 mi | 45.4 | 20% | 24% |
| Blackburn | 5,263 | 3.3 mi | 42.4 | 19% | 24% |
| Fauldhouse | 4,587 | 4.7 mi | 44.6 | 19% | 25% |
| Maddiston | 3,835 | 5.3 mi | 36.2 | 12% | 38% |
| West Calder | 3,405 | 5.9 mi | 45.9 | 22% | 24% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in term time. 20 March 2022 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “West Lothian’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in West Lothian (or Scotland), summed the same way as Armadale’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. National Records of Scotland adjusts small Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Armadale’s residents
What is the population of Armadale?
The 2022 Census counted 12,590 people in Armadale’s locality.
What is the average age in Armadale?
The median age was 40.4 at the 2022 Census, younger than 78% of UK towns. 11% of residents were 15 to 24 and 16% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Armadale?
92% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 88% across West Lothian’s towns. 6.6% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Armadale?
54% said they had no religion and 39% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.8% were Muslim and 5.2% didn’t answer.
Is Armadale good for families?
32% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Armadale’s schools page.
Sources: Scotland’s Census 2022 (National Records of Scotland), output areas summed to the NRS 2022 locality (UV101b, UV103, UV104, UV113, UV201, UV204b, UV205, UV212, UV301, UV402, UV405, UV406, UV501, UV607, UV801). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.