Merchant Place, Bedford, MK40 1AR

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK40 1AR has a slightly higher male population, with 52.3% of residents being male. Several factors can contribute to this, including areas with industries or sectors that predominantly employ men, proximity to universities or technical schools with a higher enrollment of male students, presence of all-male or predominantly male institutions (military academies, boarding schools).

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	44.8%	47.7%	2.9%	51.0%	-3.3%
Male	55.2%	52.3%	-2.9%	49.0%	3.3%

Partnership Status

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

In the immediate area around MK40 1AR, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 54.8% of the residents. On average, approximately 38% of individuals who responded to the census in the UK were single. Areas with higher single populations are typically urban centers, university towns, regions with dynamic job markets, rich cultural offerings and entertainment facilities. These regions also tend to have a younger demographic.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	46%	54.8%	8.8%	37.9%	16.9%
Married: Opposite sex	39.2%	31%	-8.2%	44.2%	-13.2%
Married: Same sex	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%
Separated	3.5%	3.8%	0.3%	2.2%	1.6%
Divorced	6.8%	9%	2.2%	9.1%	-0.1%
Widowed	3.9%	1.4%	-2.5%	6.1%	-4.7%

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 high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (85.9%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	48.6%	42.1%	-6.5%	48.4%	-6.3%
Good health	35.8%	43.8%	8.0%	33.6%	10.2%
Fair health	10.8%	9.8%	-1.0%	12.7%	-2.9%
Bad health	4%	3.8%	-0.2%	4.0%	-0.2%
Very bad health	0.8%	0.4%	-0.4%	1.2%	-0.8%

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 MK40 1AR this area, 8.7% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%. This area stands out for its high percentage of residents with higher education degree or similar. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 47.6%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	27.3%	8.7%	-18.6%	18.2%	-9.5%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	10.3%	7.2%	-3.1%	9.6%	-2.4%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	12.9%	8.7%	-4.2%	13.4%	-4.7%
Apprenticeship	0%	6.3%	6.3%	5.3%	1.0%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	9%	16.3%	7.3%	16.9%	-0.6%
Degree or Similar	20.9%	47.6%	26.7%	33.8%	13.8%
Other	19.6%	5.3%	-14.3%	2.8%	2.5%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 60.6% of the residents identify as white, which is lower than the UK average of 81.4%, there are significant representations of other ethnic groups.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	30.2%	10.6%	-19.6%	1.1%	9.5%
Chinese	1.3%	1.3%	0.0%	0.7%	0.6%
Indian	2.8%	6.8%	4.0%	3.1%	3.7%
Pakistani	1.8%	1.7%	-0.1%	2.7%	-1.0%
Other Asian	9.1%	3%	-6.1%	1.6%	1.4%
Black African	2.5%	5.5%	3.0%	2.5%	3.0%
Black Caribbean	1.3%	3%	1.7%	1.0%	2.0%
Other Black	0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.5%	0.3%
Mixed White and Asian	0.8%	2.1%	1.3%	0.8%	1.3%
Mixed White and African	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.4%	-0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1%	2.1%	1.1%	0.9%	1.2%
Mixed Other	0.8%	0.4%	-0.4%	0.8%	-0.4%
White	46.1%	60.6%	14.5%	81.4%	-20.8%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.1%	-0.1%
Roma	0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.2%	0.6%
Arab	0.8%	0%	-0.8%	0.6%	-0.6%
Other	1%	1.3%	0.3%	1.6%	-0.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 61% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is lower than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	46.6%	61%	14.4%	83.2%	-22.2%
European Union	20.4%	15.7%	-4.7%	6.1%	9.6%
Rest of Europe	1%	3.4%	2.4%	0.8%	2.6%
Africa	2.5%	5.5%	3.0%	2.7%	2.8%
Middle East and Asia	28.5%	11.9%	-16.6%	5.6%	6.3%
The Americas and the Caribbean	1%	1.7%	0.7%	1.3%	0.4%
Oceania	0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.3%	0.5%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	46.6%	61%	14.4%	83.2%	-22.2%
10+ Years	9.3%	13.1%	3.8%	9.8%	3.3%
5-10 Years	13.1%	13.1%	0.0%	2.9%	10.2%
2-5 Years	14.1%	6.8%	-7.3%	2.2%	4.6%
Less than 2 years	16.9%	5.9%	-11.0%	1.9%	4.0%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	65.4%	76.7%	-11.3%
Ireland	0.4%	0.6%	-0.2%
France	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
Italy	3%	0.6%	2.4%
Portugal	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Spain	0.4%	0.4%	0.0%
Poland	3.9%	1.3%	2.6%
Romania	2.6%	0.9%	1.7%
Other EU countries	3.9%	1.5%	2.4%
Other Europe	1.7%	0.2%	1.5%
Central and Western Africa	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
South and Eastern Africa	1.3%	0.2%	1.1%
Eastern Asia	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
Southern Asia	5.6%	1.2%	4.4%
South-East Asia	0.9%	0.2%	0.7%
Central and South America	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Oceania	0.9%	0.1%	0.8%
No passport held	6.5%	13.5%	-7.0%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	31.2%	37.2%	-6.0%
Christian	42.2%	46.2%	-4.0%
Buddhist	1.3%	0.5%	0.8%
Hindu	2.1%	1.7%	0.4%
Muslim	16%	6.5%	9.5%
Sikh	2.1%	0.9%	1.2%
Not answered	5.1%	6.0%	-0.9%

Safety

Is Merchant Place Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merchant Place was 786.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 274.6% higher than the Castle & Newnham average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Merchant Place has the 5th highest crime rate of 52 local areas in Castle & Newnham and the 8th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 400.0 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -40.7%.

🔎 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. 59% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£47,300

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in MK40 1AR, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 10/10 (very high )
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 - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 10/10 (very high )
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 - 10/10 (very 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 - 8/10 (high )
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 - 8/10 (high )
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) - 9/10 (very 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) - 10/10 (very high )
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

Average property prices on Merchant Place are based on 9 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Bedford.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Merchant Place, Bedford, MK40 1AR

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 1AR

Average Price
£82,779

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£75,314

Other
£105,172

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merchant Place

Average Price
£83,649

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£76,522

Other
£108,592

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merchant PlaceStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
14 Merchant Place, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£140,000	2025-04-10	£142,668
11 Merchant Place, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£66,000	2022-12-20	£66,458
5 Merchant Place, Bedford, Bedford Other, an established residential building	£98,000	2022-06-23	£102,121
7 Merchant Place, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£60,000	2021-12-03	£64,508
17 Merchant Place, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£59,400	2021-09-29	£63,460

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 1AR

Employment

MK40 1AR 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.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	104
Retired	26
Part-Time Employee	25
Self-Employed	17
Looking after home or family	10
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	8
Student (economically inactive)	8
Long-Term Sick or disabled	7
Other	5
Unemployed	3

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	43
Administrative and support service activities	24
Human health and social work activities	20
Accommodation and food service activities	19
Manufacturing	16
Education	15
Transport and storage	10
Information and communication	9
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	9
Construction	8
Other	6
Professional, scientific and technical activities	4
Financial and insurance activities	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	2
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	1,159 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	1,462 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Priory Primary School Greyfriars , MK40 1JD	4out of 4	441 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Livingstone Primary School Clapham Road , MK41 7LG	3out of 4	1,055 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Cauldwell School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	3out of 4	1,195 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Goldington Road , MK40 3EP	4out of 4	1,333 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Academy Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	2out of 4	1,481 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	463 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	1,857 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	1,990 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	2,238 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	2,428 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford College Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AH	- not rated	329 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	769 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	790 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	877 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	916 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Andrew's School 78 Kimbolton Road , MK40 2PA	- not rated	1,206 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Bridges Espresso Bar	Unit 2d The Pavilion, Merchant Place, Riverside Square	24 yd
PANINOTECA	Unit 2c, Merchant Place, Riverside Square	24 yd
Wagamama	Unit 3c, Merchant Gate, Riverside Square	62 yd
Zizzi	Unit 3a, Merchant Gate, Riverside Square	62 yd
St Pauls Church	St Pauls Church, St Pauls Square	64 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Astons	32 High Street	201 yd
The Cross Keys	The Cross Keys, 69 High Street	253 yd
Slug & Lettuce Bedford	53-55 High Street	256 yd
Vogue	55 High Street	256 yd
The Rose	The Rose, 45 High Street	274 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Emporium cafe	18 The Boulevards	108 yd
Greggs	19 Harpur Centre	108 yd
Subway	47 Midland Road	226 yd
BB Tea	43 High Street	234 yd
Italian Express Pizza	33 Commercial Road	257 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Liana International Market	59 Midland Road	230 yd
Tesco	63 High Street	256 yd
Essential Supermarket	10-11 Thurlow Street	320 yd
Iceland Frozen Foods Plc	15-19 Greenhill Street	379 yd
Bedford Fruit and Vegetable Ltd	109 Midland Road	395 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Bedford College CAULDWELL STREET	health and fitness suite	224 yd
Pace Health Club (Bedford) (Closed) St. Marys Street	health and fitness suite	253 yd
Flexibility Health & Fitness Club 1-3 1-3 SILVER STREET	health and fitness suite	274 yd
Bedford Free School CAULDWELL HOUSE CAULDWELL HOUSE CAULDWELL STREET		364 yd
Samsons Fitness MIDLAND ROAD	health and fitness suite	392 yd
Bunyan Meeting Church MILL STREET		407 yd
Hmp Bedford ST. LOYES STREET	artificial grass pitch	517 yd
Trinity Arts & Leisure BROMHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	572 yd
Bedford Girls School CARDINGTON ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	637 yd
Bedford School DE PARYS AVENUE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	865 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	13.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	13.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	13.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	77.2 Mbit/s
Average download speed	70 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	80 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	80 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	19.9 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	17.2 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	20 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK40 1AR