Cowper Road, Bedford, MK40 2AS

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK40 2AS has a slightly higher male population, with 51% 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	54.9%	49%	-5.9%	51.0%	-2.0%
Male	45.1%	51%	5.9%	49.0%	2.0%

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	30.3%	34.8%	4.5%	37.9%	-3.1%
Married: Opposite sex	48.3%	49%	0.7%	44.2%	4.8%
Married: Same sex	0.9%	1%	0.1%	0.3%	0.7%
Civil partnership: Same sex	0%	2%	2.0%	0.1%	1.9%
Separated	1.4%	2.5%	1.1%	2.2%	0.3%
Divorced	5.7%	6.4%	0.7%	9.1%	-2.7%
Widowed	13.3%	4.4%	-8.9%	6.1%	-1.7%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	46.3%	47.9%	1.6%	48.4%	-0.5%
Good health	31.8%	35.8%	4.0%	33.6%	2.2%
Fair health	16.1%	11.7%	-4.4%	12.7%	-1.0%
Bad health	4.7%	3.8%	-0.9%	4.0%	-0.2%
Very bad health	1.2%	0.8%	-0.4%	1.2%	-0.4%

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 2AS this area, 8.8% 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 47.1%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	13.7%	8.8%	-4.9%	18.2%	-9.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	10%	8.3%	-1.7%	9.6%	-1.3%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	11.8%	15.2%	3.4%	13.4%	1.8%
Apprenticeship	0.9%	3.4%	2.5%	5.3%	-1.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	11.8%	13.7%	1.9%	16.9%	-3.2%
Degree or Similar	44.5%	47.1%	2.6%	33.8%	13.3%
Other	7.1%	3.4%	-3.7%	2.8%	0.6%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 80.7% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0.8%	0%	-0.8%	1.1%	-1.1%
Chinese	0.4%	0%	-0.4%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	1.6%	1.6%	0.0%	3.1%	-1.5%
Pakistani	0%	0.8%	0.8%	2.7%	-1.9%
Other Asian	0.8%	2.5%	1.7%	1.6%	0.9%
Black African	2%	4.1%	2.1%	2.5%	1.6%
Black Caribbean	2.4%	0.8%	-1.6%	1.0%	-0.2%
Other Black	0.4%	0.4%	0.0%	0.5%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Asian	0.8%	0.8%	0.0%	0.8%	0.0%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.0%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.2%	1.2%	0.0%	0.9%	0.3%
Mixed Other	1.2%	2.5%	1.3%	0.8%	1.7%
White	87.1%	80.7%	-6.4%	81.4%	-0.7%
Roma	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Arab	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.6%	-0.2%
Other	1.6%	3.3%	1.7%	1.6%	1.7%

Country of Birth

In this area, 71.7% 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	76.1%	71.7%	-4.4%	83.2%	-11.5%
European Union	14.9%	17.5%	2.6%	6.1%	11.4%
Rest of Europe	1.2%	0%	-1.2%	0.8%	-0.8%
Africa	3.1%	6.3%	3.2%	2.7%	3.6%
Middle East and Asia	1.6%	2.9%	1.3%	5.6%	-2.7%
The Americas and the Caribbean	2.4%	1.7%	-0.7%	1.3%	0.4%
Oceania	0.8%	0%	-0.8%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	76.1%	71.4%	-4.7%	83.2%	-11.8%
10+ Years	0.4%	21.2%	20.8%	9.8%	11.4%
5-10 Years	3.9%	2.5%	-1.4%	2.9%	-0.4%
2-5 Years	6.7%	3.3%	-3.4%	2.2%	1.1%
Less than 2 years	12.9%	1.7%	-11.2%	1.9%	-0.2%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	74.7%	76.7%	-2.0%
Ireland	2.1%	0.6%	1.5%
France	0.8%	0.3%	0.5%
Italy	2.1%	0.6%	1.5%
Lithuania	2.1%	0.3%	1.8%
Poland	7.9%	1.3%	6.6%
Romania	0.8%	0.9%	-0.1%
Other EU countries	1.2%	1.5%	-0.3%
Southern Asia	0.8%	1.2%	-0.4%
Central and South America	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
No passport held	7.1%	13.5%	-6.4%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	27.4%	37.2%	-9.8%
Christian	61%	46.2%	14.8%
Buddhist	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Hindu	0.4%	1.7%	-1.3%
Muslim	2.1%	6.5%	-4.4%
Sikh	2.5%	0.9%	1.6%
Other religion	0.4%	0.6%	-0.2%
Not answered	5.8%	6.0%	-0.2%

Safety

Is Cowper Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Cowper Road was 566.3 per 1,000 residents, which is 268.5% higher than the Harpur average. The most reported crime type was Anti-social behaviour.

Cowper Road has the 2nd highest crime rate of 26 local areas in Harpur and the 15th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 164.7 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -31.0%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly lower level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 61% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have higher average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£41,800

Income Rank
4/10

Household Income in MK40 2AS, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 8/10 (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 - 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 - 8/10 (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 - 5/10 (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 - 9/10 (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 - 4/10 (below average )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 7/10 (above average )
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 - 9/10 (very 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) - 4/10 (below average )
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) - 6/10 (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

Average property prices on Cowper Road are based on 14 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 Cowper Road, Bedford, MK40 2AS

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 2AS

Average Price
£625,752

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£549,474

Detached
£468,278

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
£1,174,452

Estimated Average Property Prices for Cowper Road

Average Price
£492,785

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£576,184

Detached
£486,370

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Cowper Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
1 Cowper Road, Bedford, Bedford Other, an established residential building	£925,000	2016-03-23	£1,212,645
2 Cowper Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Terraced, an established residential building	£290,000	2006-07-27	£576,184
2A Cowper Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£163,500	2006-02-24	£339,230
2B Cowper Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£150,000	2004-06-18	£330,063
2A Cowper Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£89,000	2001-06-15	£293,144

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 2AS

Employment

MK40 2AS area has a high level of entrepreneurship. Only 24% of streets have higher percent of entrepreneur residents. 12% of population in this area is self-employed, while the average in the UK is 9.7%. High number of entrepreneurs usually leads to relatively high economic growth, higher paid jobs and better quality of life in the area.

MK40 2AS area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 2% 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	90
Retired	47
Self-Employed	24
Part-Time Employee	21
Other	7
Student (economically inactive)	6
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	4
Unemployed	4
Long-Term Sick or disabled	1
Looking after home or family	0

Employment Industry

Education	22
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	21
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	13
Financial and insurance activities	10
Professional, scientific and technical activities	10
Manufacturing	10
Human health and social work activities	9
Transport and storage	7
Construction	7
Accommodation and food service activities	6
Information and communication	6
Administrative and support service activities	6
Other	4
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1
Real estate activities	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	2,297 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,858 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Great Ouse Primary Academy Seaforth Gardens , MK40 4TJ	- not rated	514 yd	Free schools	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Livingstone Primary School Clapham Road , MK41 7LG	3out of 4	592 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Edith Cavell Primary School Manton Lane , MK41 7NH	3out of 4	667 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Priory Primary School Greyfriars , MK40 1JD	4out of 4	1,026 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Academy Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	2out of 4	1,165 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	1,302 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	1,919 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	2,402 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	4out of 4	2,651 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	2,999 yd	Academy converter	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	1,784 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Rushmoor School 58-60 Shakespeare Road , MK45 2RS	- not rated	144 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Modern School Manton Lane , MK41 7NT	- not rated	531 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	683 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	1,576 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
St Andrew's School 78 Kimbolton Road , MK40 2PA	- not rated	1,786 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
A Different Brew	106 Clapham Road	409 yd
McDonalds	Mcdonalds, Fairhill	487 yd
Dudu Bar Restaurant and Lounge	49 Bromham Road	497 yd
Fancy Bakery	35-37 Roff Avenue	820 yd
Flamme Rouge Cycles	62-64 Bromham Road	852 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Kalooki Club	2 Spenser Road	416 yd
Brewpoint	Brewpoint, Fairhill	458 yd
The Burnaby Arms	The Burnaby Arms, 66 Stanley Street	661 yd
North End Club	60 Roff Avenue	699 yd
The Foresters Arms	The Foresters Arms, 41 Union Street	710 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Le Raj	29 Park Road West	634 yd
Deniz Fish Bar	11 Park Road West	692 yd
Best Kebab	100 Bromham Road	718 yd
Happy House	96 Bromham Road	730 yd
Golden Chicken Bar B Q	100a Bromham Road	740 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Aldi Stores Ltd	98 Clapham Road	407 yd
J Sainsbury Plc (Main Store)	90 Clapham Road	409 yd
J Sainsbury Plc (Petrol station Shop)	90 Clapham Road	409 yd
Sainsbury's	105-107 Tavistock Street	879 yd
Iceland Foods Ltd	7-11 Midland Road	887 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Rushmoor School RUSHMOOR SCHOOL RUSHMOOR SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE ROAD		61 yd
Alexander Sports Centre SIDNEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	266 yd
University Of Bedfordshire (Lansdowne Road Campus) (Closed) Lansdowne Road	swimming pool	381 yd
Bedford Girls' School Playing Fields (Closed) Beverley Grove	grass pitches, tennis courts	435 yd
Bedford Modern School MANTON LANE	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	540 yd
Towers Health And Racquets Club Clapham Road	health and fitness suite, indoor tennis centre, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	736 yd
Rushmoor School Playing Fields 1 FRANKLIN COTTAGES 1 FRANKLIN COTTAGES CLAPHAM ROAD	grass pitches	822 yd
Trinity Arts & Leisure BROMHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	960 yd
St. Gregorys Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn	grass pitches	1,029 yd
Pure Gym (Bedford) BEDFORD HEIGHTS BEDFORD HEIGHTS BRICKHILL DRIVE	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	1,050 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	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	80.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	80.0%

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%

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

Overview of MK40 2AS