Balsall Street West, Bedford, MK40 2FD

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK40 2FD is primarily male, with 78.4% 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	33.9%	21.6%	-12.3%	51.0%	-29.4%
Male	66.1%	78.4%	12.3%	49.0%	29.4%

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 2FD, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 71.7% 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	55.6%	71.7%	16.1%	37.9%	33.8%
Married: Opposite sex	26.1%	14.7%	-11.4%	44.2%	-29.5%
Married: Same sex	0.4%	0%	-0.4%	0.3%	-0.3%
Separated	4.5%	3.5%	-1.0%	2.2%	1.3%
Divorced	11.2%	9.3%	-1.9%	9.1%	0.2%
Widowed	2.2%	0.8%	-1.4%	6.1%	-5.3%

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	41.9%	41.2%	-0.7%	48.4%	-7.2%
Good health	37.1%	33.8%	-3.3%	33.6%	0.2%
Fair health	14.3%	18.1%	3.8%	12.7%	5.4%
Bad health	5%	5.4%	0.4%	4.0%	1.4%
Very bad health	1.7%	1.5%	-0.2%	1.2%	0.3%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	22.4%	19.2%	-3.2%	18.2%	1.0%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	19.8%	11.9%	-7.9%	9.6%	2.3%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	16.8%	17.1%	0.3%	13.4%	3.7%
Apprenticeship	3.7%	6.2%	2.5%	5.3%	0.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	11.4%	12.5%	1.1%	16.9%	-4.4%
Degree or Similar	15.3%	31.4%	16.1%	33.8%	-2.4%
Other	10.6%	1.6%	-9.0%	2.8%	-1.2%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 64.1% 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	7.8%	0.7%	-7.1%	1.1%	-0.4%
Chinese	1.3%	0.5%	-0.8%	0.7%	-0.2%
Indian	4.3%	2.5%	-1.8%	3.1%	-0.6%
Pakistani	4.3%	2.7%	-1.6%	2.7%	0.0%
Other Asian	2%	2.9%	0.9%	1.6%	1.3%
Black African	4.3%	5.4%	1.1%	2.5%	2.9%
Black Caribbean	3.7%	1.7%	-2.0%	1.0%	0.7%
Other Black	0.2%	3.7%	3.5%	0.5%	3.2%
Mixed White and Asian	1%	1.5%	0.5%	0.8%	0.7%
Mixed White and African	0.3%	1.5%	1.2%	0.4%	1.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	2.8%	4.4%	1.6%	0.9%	3.5%
Mixed Other	1.2%	0.7%	-0.5%	0.8%	-0.1%
White	62.9%	64.1%	1.2%	81.4%	-17.3%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	1.8%	1.2%	-0.6%	0.1%	1.1%
Roma	0%	2.7%	2.7%	0.2%	2.5%
Arab	0.5%	0.2%	-0.3%	0.6%	-0.4%
Other	1.5%	3.4%	1.9%	1.6%	1.8%

Country of Birth

In this area, 63.5% 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	66.7%	63.5%	-3.2%	83.2%	-19.7%
European Union	11.8%	22.1%	10.3%	6.1%	16.0%
Rest of Europe	1%	2.5%	1.5%	0.8%	1.7%
Africa	4.5%	4.2%	-0.3%	2.7%	1.5%
Middle East and Asia	11.8%	4.7%	-7.1%	5.6%	-0.9%
The Americas and the Caribbean	3.5%	2.9%	-0.6%	1.3%	1.6%
Oceania	0.7%	0.2%	-0.5%	0.3%	-0.1%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	66.1%	63.5%	-2.6%	83.2%	-19.7%
10+ Years	3.7%	8.8%	5.1%	9.8%	-1.0%
5-10 Years	7%	6.4%	-0.6%	2.9%	3.5%
2-5 Years	7.2%	12%	4.8%	2.2%	9.8%
Less than 2 years	16.1%	9.3%	-6.8%	1.9%	7.4%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	50.9%	76.7%	-25.8%
Germany	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Italy	2.5%	0.6%	1.9%
Portugal	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%
Spain	0.7%	0.4%	0.3%
Lithuania	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%
Poland	8.6%	1.3%	7.3%
Romania	4.2%	0.9%	3.3%
Other EU countries	5.7%	1.5%	4.2%
Turkey	1%	0.1%	0.9%
Other Europe	1.7%	0.2%	1.5%
Central and Western Africa	1.5%	0.3%	1.2%
South and Eastern Africa	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Eastern Asia	1%	0.3%	0.7%
Southern Asia	1.2%	1.2%	0.0%
North America and the Caribbean	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%
Central and South America	1%	0.2%	0.8%
Oceania	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
No passport held	18.2%	13.5%	4.7%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	27.3%	37.2%	-9.9%
Christian	45.7%	46.2%	-0.5%
Buddhist	3.6%	0.5%	3.1%
Jewish	1%	0.5%	0.5%
Muslim	11.4%	6.5%	4.9%
Sikh	0.2%	0.9%	-0.7%
Other religion	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Not answered	9.2%	6.0%	3.2%

Safety

Is Balsall Street West dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Balsall Street West was 115.0 per 1,000 residents, which is 25.2% lower than the Harpur average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Balsall Street West has the 10th lowest crime rate of 26 local areas in Harpur and the 111th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 50.5 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -33.2%.

🔎 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 2FD, 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 - 10/10 (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 - 10/10 (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 - 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 - 6/10 (average )
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) - 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 Balsall Street West are based on 4 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 Balsall Street West, Bedford, MK40 2FD

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 2FD

Average Price
£170,176

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£170,176

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Balsall Street West

Average Price
£175,710

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£175,710

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Balsall Street West

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat 4 Crown Terrace Balsall Street West, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£125,000	2016-03-31	£163,871
Flat 1 Crown Terrace Balsall Street West, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£145,000	2015-12-07	£196,165
Flat 3 Crown Terrace Balsall Street West, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£125,000	2015-11-11	£170,013
Flat 2 Crown Terrace Balsall Street West, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£125,000	2015-09-04	£172,789

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 2FD

Employment

Economic Activity

Other	182
Full-Time Employee	93
Self-Employed	22
Part-Time Employee	19
Unemployed	15
Student (economically inactive)	12
Long-Term Sick or disabled	12
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	6
Retired	5
Looking after home or family	4

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	35
Accommodation and food service activities	30
Human health and social work activities	30
Manufacturing	23
Transport and storage	19
Construction	17
Administrative and support service activities	13
Professional, scientific and technical activities	11
Education	10
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	9
Other	8
Information and communication	7
Financial and insurance activities	4
Real estate activities	3
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	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	1,731 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,025 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	451 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Livingstone Primary School Clapham Road , MK41 7LG	3out of 4	566 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Edith Cavell Primary School Manton Lane , MK41 7NH	3out of 4	1,037 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Goldington Road , MK40 3EP	4out of 4	1,253 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Great Ouse Primary Academy Seaforth Gardens , MK40 4TJ	- not rated	1,589 yd	Free schools	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	1,007 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	1,536 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	2,015 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	2,042 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	4out of 4	2,652 yd	Academy converter	No	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	885 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	476 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	543 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
St Andrew's School 78 Kimbolton Road , MK40 2PA	- not rated	848 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Rushmoor School 58-60 Shakespeare Road , MK45 2RS	- not rated	983 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	1,179 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Royal Gurkha	46-48 Tavistock Street	23 yd
Deshi Spice Restaurant	60 Tavistock Street	23 yd
Noble Rot	56 Tavistock Street	23 yd
Dougal's Kitchen @ The Flowerpot	25 Tavistock Street	43 yd
Grand Indian Restaurant	39 Tavistock Street	48 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Flowerpot	The Flowerpot, 25 Tavistock Street	48 yd
Lucky 11	3a The Broadway	90 yd
Wellington Arms PH	The Wellington Arms, 40-42 Wellington Street	174 yd
The Bedford Club	11 De Parys Avenue	203 yd
Barley Mow	72 St Loyes Street	228 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Artisan Bakery	33 Tavistock Street	42 yd
fishermans chip shop	43 Tavistock Street	70 yd
Thirsty Records	75 Harpur Street	75 yd
Andreas Kebabs	Andreas Pizzeria, 34 The Broadway	75 yd
The Tuckin Caribbean Takeaway	38 The Broadway	75 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
BQUALITY AFRICA MINI MARKET	Flat D, Broadway Apartments, 30 The Broadway	97 yd
Sainsbury's	105-107 Tavistock Street	240 yd
Iceland Frozen Foods Plc	15-19 Greenhill Street	295 yd
Lidl Food Stores	5-9 St Peters Street	327 yd
Essential Supermarket	10-11 Thurlow Street	417 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Hmp Bedford ST. LOYES STREET	artificial grass pitch	122 yd
Trinity Arts & Leisure BROMHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	206 yd
Flexibility Health & Fitness Club 1-3 1-3 SILVER STREET	health and fitness suite	361 yd
Bedford School DE PARYS AVENUE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	450 yd
Bunyan Meeting Church MILL STREET		535 yd
Robinson Pool PARK AVENUE	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	613 yd
Samsons Fitness MIDLAND ROAD	health and fitness suite	656 yd
Bedford Borough Indoor Bowling Club GOLDINGTON ROAD	indoor bowls	696 yd
University Of Bedfordshire (Lansdowne Road Campus) (Closed) Lansdowne Road	swimming pool	737 yd
Pace Health Club (Bedford) (Closed) St. Marys Street	health and fitness suite	769 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	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

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.