Shakespeare Road, Bedford, MK40 2ED

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK40 2ED is primarily male, with 55.3% of the population 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	48.5%	44.7%	-3.8%	51.0%	-6.3%
Male	51.5%	55.3%	3.8%	49.0%	6.3%

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 2ED, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 44.4% 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	46.4%	44.4%	-2.0%	37.9%	6.5%
Married: Opposite sex	35.7%	39.6%	3.9%	44.2%	-4.6%
Separated	2.9%	1.9%	-1.0%	2.2%	-0.3%
Divorced	10.1%	11.6%	1.5%	9.1%	2.5%
Widowed	4.8%	2.4%	-2.4%	6.1%	-3.7%

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	46.5%	49%	2.5%	48.4%	0.6%
Good health	34.4%	34.6%	0.2%	33.6%	1.0%
Fair health	15.8%	10.9%	-4.9%	12.7%	-1.8%
Bad health	2.1%	3.9%	1.8%	4.0%	-0.1%
Very bad health	1.2%	1.6%	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.

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 46.7%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	13.5%	12.4%	-1.1%	18.2%	-5.8%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	11.6%	6.2%	-5.4%	9.6%	-3.4%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	10.1%	9%	-1.1%	13.4%	-4.4%
Apprenticeship	1.9%	5.7%	3.8%	5.3%	0.4%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	11.1%	14.3%	3.2%	16.9%	-2.6%
Degree or Similar	43.5%	46.7%	3.2%	33.8%	12.9%
Other	8.2%	5.7%	-2.5%	2.8%	2.9%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 77.8% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	1.2%	1.6%	0.4%	1.1%	0.5%
Chinese	1.7%	0%	-1.7%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	7.5%	2.4%	-5.1%	3.1%	-0.7%
Pakistani	0.8%	2.4%	1.6%	2.7%	-0.3%
Other Asian	2.5%	0.4%	-2.1%	1.6%	-1.2%
Black African	8.7%	3.2%	-5.5%	2.5%	0.7%
Black Caribbean	0.8%	0.8%	0.0%	1.0%	-0.2%
Other Black	0.4%	0.8%	0.4%	0.5%	0.3%
Mixed White and Asian	1.7%	0%	-1.7%	0.8%	-0.8%
Mixed White and African	1.7%	1.2%	-0.5%	0.4%	0.8%
Mixed White and Caribbean	2.1%	0.8%	-1.3%	0.9%	-0.1%
Mixed Other	0.4%	2.4%	2.0%	0.8%	1.6%
White	70.1%	77.8%	7.7%	81.4%	-3.6%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.1%	0.3%
Roma	0%	1.2%	1.2%	0.2%	1.0%
Arab	0.4%	2%	1.6%	0.6%	1.4%
Other	0%	2.8%	2.8%	1.6%	1.2%

Country of Birth

In this area, 67.3% 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	69.3%	67.3%	-2.0%	83.2%	-15.9%
European Union	8.3%	17.7%	9.4%	6.1%	11.6%
Rest of Europe	0.8%	2.4%	1.6%	0.8%	1.6%
Africa	10.8%	5.9%	-4.9%	2.7%	3.2%
Middle East and Asia	9.5%	3.5%	-6.0%	5.6%	-2.1%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.4%	3.1%	2.7%	1.3%	1.8%
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	68.5%	67.1%	-1.4%	83.2%	-16.1%
10+ Years	6.2%	16.5%	10.3%	9.8%	6.7%
5-10 Years	6.6%	9.4%	2.8%	2.9%	6.5%
2-5 Years	9.1%	5.5%	-3.6%	2.2%	3.3%
Less than 2 years	9.5%	1.6%	-7.9%	1.9%	-0.3%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	62.5%	76.7%	-14.2%
Ireland	2%	0.6%	1.4%
Germany	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Italy	0.8%	0.6%	0.2%
Portugal	1.6%	0.5%	1.1%
Spain	1.6%	0.4%	1.2%
Lithuania	0.8%	0.3%	0.5%
Poland	4.7%	1.3%	3.4%
Romania	2%	0.9%	1.1%
Other EU countries	9.4%	1.5%	7.9%
Other Europe	0.8%	0.2%	0.6%
Central and Western Africa	0.8%	0.3%	0.5%
South and Eastern Africa	0.8%	0.2%	0.6%
Southern Asia	0.8%	1.2%	-0.4%
North America and the Caribbean	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
Central and South America	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
No passport held	10.5%	13.5%	-3.0%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	36.9%	37.2%	-0.3%
Christian	43.1%	46.2%	-3.1%
Hindu	2.4%	1.7%	0.7%
Muslim	8.2%	6.5%	1.7%
Not answered	9.4%	6.0%	3.4%

Safety

Is Shakespeare Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Shakespeare Road was 122.1 per 1,000 residents, which is 20.6% lower than the Harpur average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Shakespeare Road has the 12th lowest crime rate of 26 local areas in Harpur and the 100th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 74.8 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -44.0%.

🔎 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 2ED, 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 Shakespeare Road are based on 300 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for North Bedfordshire.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Shakespeare Road, Bedford, MK40 2ED

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 2ED

Average Price
£312,341

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£972,476

Flats/Maisonettes
£158,619

Other
£963,175

Estimated Average Property Prices for Shakespeare Road

Average Price
£209,591

Semi-Detached
£494,683

Terraced
£378,836

Detached
£776,222

Flats/Maisonettes
£152,001

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Shakespeare Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat 20 Regents Court, 44 Shakespeare Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£165,000	2025-08-18	£165,489
Flat 3 Othello Court, 50 Shakespeare Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£125,000	2025-02-28	£128,283
Flat 14 Regents Court, 44 Shakespeare Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£155,500	2024-10-29	£159,262
Flat 12 Othello Court, 50 Shakespeare Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£128,000	2024-07-15	£130,965
Flat 15 Regents Court, 44 Shakespeare Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£125,000	2022-06-20	£130,256

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 2ED

Employment

MK40 2ED area has a very high level of entrepreneurship. Only 9% of streets have higher percent of entrepreneur residents. 15% 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 2ED area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% 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	79
Self-Employed	32
Retired	29
Part-Time Employee	20
Long-Term Sick or disabled	18
Looking after home or family	10
Student (economically inactive)	8
Unemployed	7
Other	4
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	4

Employment Industry

Education	21
Human health and social work activities	18
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	16
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	13
Professional, scientific and technical activities	11
Other	10
Manufacturing	9
Information and communication	8
Administrative and support service activities	8
Accommodation and food service activities	7
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	6
Construction	3
Financial and insurance activities	2
Transport and storage	1
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	2,176 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,733 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Livingstone Primary School Clapham Road , MK41 7LG	3out of 4	519 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Great Ouse Primary Academy Seaforth Gardens , MK40 4TJ	- not rated	589 yd	Free schools	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Edith Cavell Primary School Manton Lane , MK41 7NH	3out of 4	698 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Priory Primary School Greyfriars , MK40 1JD	4out of 4	903 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Academy Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	2out of 4	1,100 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	1,287 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	1,796 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	2,347 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	4out of 4	2,698 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	2,934 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	1,661 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	134 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	566 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Modern School Manton Lane , MK41 7NT	- not rated	605 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	1,490 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
St Andrew's School 78 Kimbolton Road , MK40 2PA	- not rated	1,715 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
Dudu Bar Restaurant and Lounge	49 Bromham Road	380 yd
A Different Brew	106 Clapham Road	530 yd
McDonalds	Mcdonalds, Fairhill	608 yd
Flamme Rouge Cycles	62-64 Bromham Road	734 yd
Fancy Bakery	35-37 Roff Avenue	755 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Kalooki Club	2 Spenser Road	329 yd
Brewpoint	Brewpoint, Fairhill	581 yd
The Foresters Arms	The Foresters Arms, 41 Union Street	597 yd
North End Club	60 Roff Avenue	615 yd
The Ship	The Ship, 102 Bromham Road	618 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Le Raj	29 Park Road West	563 yd
Best Kebab	100 Bromham Road	594 yd
Happy House	96 Bromham Road	608 yd
Golden Chicken Bar B Q	100a Bromham Road	618 yd
Best Pizza	100b Bromham Road	618 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Aldi Stores Ltd	98 Clapham Road	529 yd
J Sainsbury Plc (Main Store)	90 Clapham Road	530 yd
J Sainsbury Plc (Petrol station Shop)	90 Clapham Road	530 yd
Sainsbury's	105-107 Tavistock Street	783 yd
Iceland Foods Ltd	7-11 Midland Road	789 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Rushmoor School RUSHMOOR SCHOOL RUSHMOOR SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE ROAD		165 yd
University Of Bedfordshire (Lansdowne Road Campus) (Closed) Lansdowne Road	swimming pool	271 yd
Alexander Sports Centre SIDNEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	349 yd
Bedford Girls' School Playing Fields (Closed) Beverley Grove	grass pitches, tennis courts	445 yd
Bedford Modern School MANTON LANE	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	634 yd
Towers Health And Racquets Club Clapham Road	health and fitness suite, indoor tennis centre, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	843 yd
Trinity Arts & Leisure BROMHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	848 yd
Rushmoor School Playing Fields 1 FRANKLIN COTTAGES 1 FRANKLIN COTTAGES CLAPHAM ROAD	grass pitches	942 yd
Hmp Bedford ST. LOYES STREET	artificial grass pitch	954 yd
Robinson Pool PARK AVENUE	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	1,013 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	34.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	34.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	34.0%

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	55 Mbit/s
Average download speed	141.4 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	12 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	15.8 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

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