Water Lane, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 7DL

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding LU7 7DL has a female population much higher than UK average, with 66.7% of the population being female. Several factors can contribute to this. Women generally live longer than men, resulting in a higher proportion of women in neighborhoods with significant elderly populations. Typically, as people grow older, they tend to relocate from city center addresses to suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural locations. Consequently, these areas often have a higher number of females. A higher female population can also be found in areas with industries that employ more women, such as healthcare, education, and retail.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	58.7%	66.7%	8.0%	51.0%	15.7%
Male	41.3%	33.3%	-8.0%	49.0%	-15.7%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	30.7%	5.3%	-25.4%	37.9%	-32.6%
Married: Opposite sex	21.1%	25.4%	4.3%	44.2%	-18.8%
Separated	3.7%	3.5%	-0.2%	2.2%	1.3%
Divorced	10.7%	27.2%	16.5%	9.1%	18.1%
Widowed	33.7%	38.6%	4.9%	6.1%	32.5%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a lower percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (38.5%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either an older population or social deprivation in the area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	24.8%	9.6%	-15.2%	48.4%	-38.8%
Good health	31.8%	28.9%	-2.9%	33.6%	-4.7%
Fair health	28.3%	36%	7.7%	12.7%	23.3%
Bad health	11.2%	17.5%	6.3%	4.0%	13.5%
Very bad health	3.8%	7.9%	4.1%	1.2%	6.7%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around LU7 7DL this area, 62.8% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly higher than the UK average of 18.2%. This area stands out for its low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 8%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	45.6%	62.8%	17.2%	18.2%	44.6%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	10%	6.2%	-3.8%	9.6%	-3.4%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	9.3%	8.8%	-0.5%	13.4%	-4.6%
Apprenticeship	1.9%	8%	6.1%	5.3%	2.7%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	9.3%	1.8%	-7.5%	16.9%	-15.1%
Degree or Similar	20.4%	8%	-12.4%	33.8%	-25.8%
Other	3.7%	4.4%	0.7%	2.8%	1.6%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 94.7% identifying as such, significantly higher than the UK average of 81.4%. This indicates a lower level of ethnic diversity compared to the broader UK population.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	2.4%	0.9%	-1.5%	0.7%	0.2%
Indian	0.7%	0%	-0.7%	3.1%	-3.1%
Other Asian	0.3%	2.6%	2.3%	1.6%	1.0%
Black African	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	2.5%	-1.6%
Black Caribbean	0%	0.9%	0.9%	1.0%	-0.1%
Other Black	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.5%	-0.5%
Mixed White and Asian	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Mixed White and African	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.4%	-0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.7%	0%	-1.7%	0.9%	-0.9%
White	93.4%	94.7%	1.3%	81.4%	13.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 89.5% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	90.9%	89.5%	-1.4%	83.2%	6.3%
European Union	2.1%	4.4%	2.3%	6.1%	-1.7%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Africa	1%	0.9%	-0.1%	2.7%	-1.8%
Middle East and Asia	5.2%	4.4%	-0.8%	5.6%	-1.2%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0%	0.9%	0.9%	1.3%	-0.4%
British Overseas	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.0%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	89.5%	89.5%	0.0%	83.2%	6.3%
10+ Years	0.3%	9.6%	9.3%	9.8%	-0.2%
5-10 Years	2.1%	0%	-2.1%	2.9%	-2.9%
2-5 Years	1.4%	0%	-1.4%	2.2%	-2.2%
Less than 2 years	6.6%	0.9%	-5.7%	1.9%	-1.0%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	63.2%	76.7%	-13.5%
Ireland	3.5%	0.6%	2.9%
Eastern Asia	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
No passport held	32.5%	13.5%	19.0%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	14.9%	37.2%	-22.3%
Christian	78.9%	46.2%	32.7%
Buddhist	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Jewish	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Other religion	0.9%	0.6%	0.3%
Not answered	3.5%	6.0%	-2.5%

Safety

Is LU7 7DL dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around LU7 7DL was 428.6 per 1,000 residents, which is 727.4% higher than the Leighton-Linslade North average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

LU7 7DL has the 2nd highest crime rate of 50 local areas in Leighton-Linslade North and the 14th highest crime rate of 871 local areas in Central Bedfordshire .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 309.5 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 645.8%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a similar level level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 51% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£45,200

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in LU7 7DL, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 6/10 (average )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 8/10 (high )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 7/10 (above average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for South Bedfordshire.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Water Lane, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 7DL

Estimated Average Property Prices for LU7 7DL

Average Price
£146,776

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£146,776

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales in LU7 7DL

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat 42, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£84,000	2003-12-16	£147,224
Flat 42, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£47,500	1997-11-06	£201,670

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for LU7 7DL

Employment

LU7 7DL area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 1% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

The percentage of retired residents living in LU7 7DL area is much higher than the country's average. According to Census 2011, 82% residents of this area were retired, while the average in the UK was 14%.

Economic Activity

Retired	92
Long-Term Sick or disabled	7
Full-Time Employee	6
Self-Employed	3
Other	2
Part-Time Employee	1
Unemployed	1
Looking after home or family	0
Student (economically inactive)	0
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	0

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	23
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	13
Construction	12
Information and communication	10
Accommodation and food service activities	10
Education	8
Human health and social work activities	5
Transport and storage	4
Administrative and support service activities	4
Other	3
Manufacturing	3
Professional, scientific and technical activities	3
Real estate activities	2

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
The Mary Bassett Lower School Bassett Road , LU7 1AR	3out of 4	202 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Pulford CofE VA Lower School Pulford Road , LU7 1AB	4out of 4	542 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Linslade Lower School Leopold Road , Linslade LU7 2QU	3out of 4	903 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
The Rushmere Park Academy East Street , LU7 1EW	3out of 4	1,099 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Southcott Lower School Bideford Green , Linslade LU7 2UA	3out of 4	1,262 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cedars Upper School Mentmore Road , Linslade LU7 2AE	3out of 4	1,404 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Vandyke Upper School Vandyke Road , LU7 3DY	3out of 4	2,030 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Cottesloe School Aylesbury Road , Wing LU7 0NY	3out of 4	5,106 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Leighton Middle School Church Square , LU7 1EX	3out of 4	308 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Linslade School Mentmore Road , Linslade LU7 2PA	3out of 4	1,272 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Brooklands Middle School Brooklands Drive , LU7 3PF	3out of 4	1,585 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Gilbert Inglefield Academy Vandyke Road , LU7 3FU	3out of 4	1,822 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Oak Bank School Sandy Lane , LU7 3BE	4out of 4	2,312 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Methi Indian Restaurant	14-18 Bridge Street, Leighton Buzzard	164 yd
Cafe Nero	1a/1b Waterborne Walk, Leighton Buzzard	187 yd
Think Yeti Ltd	The Crooked Crow Bar, 27 Waterborne Walk	188 yd
Sorelli Cafe	1 High Street, Leighton Buzzard	215 yd
Costa	23A-23B High Street, Leighton Buzzard	215 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Golden Bell	5 Church Square, Leighton Buzzard	258 yd
Leighton Buzzard Conservative Club	16-18 High Street, Leighton Buzzard	266 yd
The Black Lion	20 High Street, Leighton Buzzard	266 yd
The Royal British Legion	The Bossard Hall, West Street	305 yd
The Red Lion	1 North Street, Leighton Buzzard	343 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sky 8	12 Bridge Street, Leighton Buzzard	173 yd
Il Piccolo Ltd	1A High Street, Leighton Buzzard	176 yd
Domino's Pizza	23 Waterborne Walk, Leighton Buzzard	187 yd
North Sea Fish and Chips	9 North Street, Leighton Buzzard	346 yd
Leighton Fried Chicken Ltd	15 North Street, Leighton Buzzard	350 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Waitrose	9 Waterborne Walk, Leighton Buzzard	134 yd
Tesco	Vimy Road, Linslade	181 yd
Iceland	9-11 Market Square, Leighton Buzzard	348 yd
Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd	Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard	777 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Leighton Middle School CHURCH SQUARE	grass pitches	212 yd
Energie Fitness Club (Leighton Buzzard) UNIT 2 UNIT 2 LEIGHTON ROAD	health and fitness suite	301 yd
Colloseum Gym (Closed) Lake Street	health and fitness suite	590 yd
Mentmore Park And Memorial Gardens Mentmore Road	grass pitches, tennis courts	631 yd
Leighton Buzzard Sports Association Ltd LAKE STREET	grass pitches, tennis courts	710 yd
The Forster Institute WATERLOO ROAD		731 yd

Broadband

We haven't found any broadband statistics for this postcode.

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.