 Waterfoot today is, however, purely residential in character, having expanded in the latter half of the 20th century as a commuter dormitory village.The 2011 census reported that Waterfoot had a population of 1,280.There was some controversy in 2012 when East Renfrewshire Council wanted to sell Waterfoot Park to the housebuilder CALA Homes so that they could build 29 homes.