Union Street, Bedford, MK40 2SE

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK40 2SE has a female population much higher than UK average, with 56.1% 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	60.8%	56.1%	-4.7%	51.0%	5.1%
Male	39.2%	43.9%	4.7%	49.0%	-5.1%

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 2SE, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 44.2% 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	30.5%	44.2%	13.7%	37.9%	6.3%
Married: Opposite sex	24.3%	30.7%	6.4%	44.2%	-13.5%
Civil partnership: Opposite sex	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.1%	0.8%
Separated	2.1%	2.2%	0.1%	2.2%	0.0%
Divorced	9%	9.5%	0.5%	9.1%	0.4%
Widowed	34.1%	12.6%	-21.5%	6.1%	6.5%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	30%	49.8%	19.8%	48.4%	1.4%
Good health	23.5%	34.7%	11.2%	33.6%	1.1%
Fair health	31.4%	11.1%	-20.3%	12.7%	-1.6%
Bad health	9.7%	3%	-6.7%	4.0%	-1.0%
Very bad health	5.4%	1.5%	-3.9%	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.

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 44.3%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	41.6%	20.9%	-20.7%	18.2%	2.7%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	6.9%	7.4%	0.5%	9.6%	-2.2%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	7.8%	11.7%	3.9%	13.4%	-1.7%
Apprenticeship	1.8%	3.9%	2.1%	5.3%	-1.4%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	5.1%	10%	4.9%	16.9%	-6.9%
Degree or Similar	28.1%	44.3%	16.2%	33.8%	10.5%
Other	8.7%	1.7%	-7.0%	2.8%	-1.1%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 78.1% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0.3%	0.4%	0.1%	1.1%	-0.7%
Chinese	0.3%	1.1%	0.8%	0.7%	0.4%
Indian	1.1%	2.6%	1.5%	3.1%	-0.5%
Pakistani	0%	1.5%	1.5%	2.7%	-1.2%
Other Asian	1.6%	0%	-1.6%	1.6%	-1.6%
Black African	1.9%	3%	1.1%	2.5%	0.5%
Black Caribbean	1.9%	3%	1.1%	1.0%	2.0%
Other Black	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Asian	0.8%	3%	2.2%	0.8%	2.2%
Mixed White and African	0%	1.5%	1.5%	0.4%	1.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0.3%	1.9%	1.6%	0.9%	1.0%
Mixed Other	1.4%	3%	1.6%	0.8%	2.2%
White	90.3%	78.1%	-12.2%	81.4%	-3.3%
Arab	0.3%	0.4%	0.1%	0.6%	-0.2%
Other	0%	0.4%	0.4%	1.6%	-1.2%

Country of Birth

In this area, 79.6% 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	83%	79.6%	-3.4%	83.2%	-3.6%
European Union	7.3%	8.9%	1.6%	6.1%	2.8%
Rest of Europe	1.9%	1.1%	-0.8%	0.8%	0.3%
Africa	1.9%	2.6%	0.7%	2.7%	-0.1%
Middle East and Asia	2.7%	4.8%	2.1%	5.6%	-0.8%
The Americas and the Caribbean	3.2%	1.5%	-1.7%	1.3%	0.2%
Oceania	0%	1.1%	1.1%	0.3%	0.8%
British Overseas	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.0%	0.4%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	82.7%	79.3%	-3.4%	83.2%	-3.9%
10+ Years	3%	9.2%	6.2%	9.8%	-0.6%
5-10 Years	2.4%	5.2%	2.8%	2.9%	2.3%
2-5 Years	4.3%	3.3%	-1.0%	2.2%	1.1%
Less than 2 years	7.6%	3%	-4.6%	1.9%	1.1%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	72.3%	76.7%	-4.4%
Ireland	0.4%	0.6%	-0.2%
France	2.2%	0.3%	1.9%
Germany	1.5%	0.2%	1.3%
Portugal	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Spain	0.4%	0.4%	0.0%
Lithuania	1.1%	0.3%	0.8%
Poland	1.5%	1.3%	0.2%
Romania	1.1%	0.9%	0.2%
Other EU countries	1.8%	1.5%	0.3%
Other Europe	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Southern Asia	0.4%	1.2%	-0.8%
North America and the Caribbean	1.1%	0.3%	0.8%
Central and South America	0.7%	0.2%	0.5%
Oceania	0.4%	0.1%	0.3%
No passport held	14.4%	13.5%	0.9%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	43%	37.2%	5.8%
Christian	44.1%	46.2%	-2.1%
Buddhist	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%
Hindu	0.7%	1.7%	-1.0%
Jewish	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Muslim	3.7%	6.5%	-2.8%
Sikh	0.4%	0.9%	-0.5%
Other religion	0.7%	0.6%	0.1%
Not answered	6.3%	6.0%	0.3%

Safety

Is Union Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Union Street was 177.9 per 1,000 residents, which is 9.0% higher than the Harpur average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Union Street has the 11th highest crime rate of 25 local areas in Harpur and the 66th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 130.4 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 151.9%.

🔎 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 2SE, 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 - 8/10 (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 - 4/10 (below 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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) - 6/10 (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) - 8/10 (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 Union Street are based on 38 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 Union Street, Bedford, MK40 2SE

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 2SE

Average Price
£256,607

Semi-Detached
£150,802

Terraced
£291,875

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Union Street

Average Price
£193,949

Semi-Detached
£156,481

Terraced
£391,655

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£164,228

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Union Street

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
61 Union Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£255,000	2021-07-23	£304,784
67 Union Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£225,000	2018-11-20	£284,083
65 Union Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£190,000	2014-07-11	£325,847
61 Union Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£104,536	2010-02-05	£211,279
65 Union Street, Bedford, Bedfordshire Terraced, an established residential building	£192,000	2008-07-01	£349,181

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 2SE

Employment

MK40 2SE 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	86
Retired	57
Self-Employed	25
Long-Term Sick or disabled	21
Part-Time Employee	16
Unemployed	7
Student (economically inactive)	5
Looking after home or family	5
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	4
Other	2

Employment Industry

Professional, scientific and technical activities	16
Education	13
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	12
Other	11
Financial and insurance activities	9
Human health and social work activities	8
Manufacturing	6
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	5
Accommodation and food service activities	5
Information and communication	5
Administrative and support service activities	4
Transport and storage	4
Construction	2
Real estate activities	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	1,738 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	1,853 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,243 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	278 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Priory Primary School Greyfriars , MK40 1JD	- not rated	452 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Edith Cavell Primary School Manton Lane , MK41 7NH	3out of 4	796 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Marlborough Lower School Marlborough Road , MK40 4LE	- not rated	1,205 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Great Ouse Primary Academy Seaforth Gardens , MK40 4TJ	3out of 4	1,287 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	4out of 4	1,238 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	1,739 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	- not rated	1,739 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	1,787 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	2,286 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
St Bede's RC Middle School 112 Bromham Road , MK40 2QR	- not rated	395 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Gregory's Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AT	- not rated	1,462 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Brickhill Middle School Falcon Avenue , MK41 7DS	- not rated	2,022 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Park Wood Middle School Hawk Drive , MK41 7JE	- not rated	2,182 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Beauchamp Middle School Hawk Drive , MK41 7JE	- not rated	2,182 yd	Community school	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	1,107 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Georgina Perkins School Young Life Centre , 163 Tavistock Street MK40 2SD	- not rated	126 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	227 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford High School Bromham Road , MK40 2BS	- not rated	354 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	804 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
Bedford Modern School Manton Lane , MK41 7NT	- not rated	942 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Charcoal Grill	75-77 Tavistock Street	210 yd
Indian Summer	69 Tavistock Street	210 yd
Pasticceria Amalfi Limited	87-91 Tavistock Street	210 yd
The Cochin	76 Tavistock Street	243 yd
Flamme Rouge Cycles	62-64 Bromham Road	285 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
North End Club	60 Roff Avenue	121 yd
The Foresters Arms	The Foresters Arms, 41 Union Street	144 yd
Esquires	60a Bromham Road	285 yd
The Ship	The Ship, 102 Bromham Road	294 yd
The Burnaby Arms	The Burnaby Arms, 66 Stanley Street	358 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Malabar	84 Tavistock Street	96 yd
Coriander	90 Tavistock Street	96 yd
Hoi Tin	86 Tavistock Street	96 yd
Tasty Tuck	96 Tavistock Street	96 yd
Canton Chinese Take Away	88 Tavistock Street	96 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sainsbury's	105-107 Tavistock Street	210 yd
Iceland Frozen Foods Plc	15-19 Greenhill Street	500 yd
BQUALITY AFRICA MINI MARKET	Flat D, Broadway Apartments, 30 The Broadway	534 yd
Essential Supermarket	10-11 Thurlow Street	581 yd
Liana International Market	59 Midland Road	669 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
University Of Bedfordshire (Lansdowne Road Campus) (Closed) Lansdowne Road	swimming pool	307 yd
Trinity Arts & Leisure BROMHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	314 yd
Hmp Bedford ST. LOYES STREET	artificial grass pitch	406 yd
Robinson Pool PARK AVENUE	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	598 yd
Rushmoor School RUSHMOOR SCHOOL RUSHMOOR SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE ROAD		673 yd
Samsons Fitness MIDLAND ROAD	health and fitness suite	732 yd
Flexibility Health & Fitness Club 1-3 1-3 SILVER STREET	health and fitness suite	744 yd
Bedford School DE PARYS AVENUE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	804 yd
Alexander Sports Centre SIDNEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	922 yd
Bedford Modern School MANTON LANE	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	940 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%

Download Speed

Median download speed	90 Mbit/s
Average download speed	143.9 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	350 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	350 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	21.9 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	35 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK40 2SE