Merton Road, Bedford, MK40 3AF

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK40 3AF has a slightly higher male population, with 52.8% 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	51%	47.2%	-3.8%	51.0%	-3.8%
Male	49%	52.8%	3.8%	49.0%	3.8%

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 3AF, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 45.1% 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	38.8%	45.1%	6.3%	37.9%	7.2%
Married: Opposite sex	32.8%	33.5%	0.7%	44.2%	-10.7%
Married: Same sex	1.1%	1.2%	0.1%	0.3%	0.9%
Separated	4.4%	2.9%	-1.5%	2.2%	0.7%
Divorced	15.3%	12.7%	-2.6%	9.1%	3.6%
Widowed	7.7%	4.6%	-3.1%	6.1%	-1.5%

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	46.1%	41.3%	-4.8%	48.4%	-7.1%
Good health	36.9%	35.2%	-1.7%	33.6%	1.6%
Fair health	12.1%	16.8%	4.7%	12.7%	4.1%
Bad health	4.4%	5.1%	0.7%	4.0%	1.1%
Very bad health	0.5%	1.5%	1.0%	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	15.8%	17.1%	1.3%	18.2%	-1.1%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	6.6%	8.8%	2.2%	9.6%	-0.8%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	13.1%	14.7%	1.6%	13.4%	1.3%
Apprenticeship	3.8%	3.5%	-0.3%	5.3%	-1.8%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	9.8%	15.9%	6.1%	16.9%	-1.0%
Degree or Similar	39.3%	37.6%	-1.7%	33.8%	3.8%
Other	11.5%	2.4%	-9.1%	2.8%	-0.4%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 85% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	0%	1%	1.0%	0.7%	0.3%
Indian	2.4%	2.1%	-0.3%	3.1%	-1.0%
Other Asian	1.9%	1.6%	-0.3%	1.6%	0.0%
Black African	0.5%	1.6%	1.1%	2.5%	-0.9%
Black Caribbean	0.5%	3.1%	2.6%	1.0%	2.1%
Other Black	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.5%	-0.5%
Mixed White and Asian	2.4%	0%	-2.4%	0.8%	-0.8%
Mixed White and African	0.5%	1%	0.5%	0.4%	0.6%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.5%	2.1%	0.6%	0.9%	1.2%
Mixed Other	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%	0.8%	-0.3%
White	88.3%	85%	-3.3%	81.4%	3.6%
Roma	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
Arab	1%	0%	-1.0%	0.6%	-0.6%
Other	0%	1.6%	1.6%	1.6%	0.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 77.6% 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	79.1%	77.6%	-1.5%	83.2%	-5.6%
European Union	8.3%	13.3%	5.0%	6.1%	7.2%
Rest of Europe	1.5%	0.5%	-1.0%	0.8%	-0.3%
Africa	4.4%	1.5%	-2.9%	2.7%	-1.2%
Middle East and Asia	3.9%	3.6%	-0.3%	5.6%	-2.0%
The Americas and the Caribbean	2.9%	3.6%	0.7%	1.3%	2.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	77.7%	76.4%	-1.3%	83.2%	-6.8%
10+ Years	2.4%	14.6%	12.2%	9.8%	4.8%
5-10 Years	3.9%	5%	1.1%	2.9%	2.1%
2-5 Years	2.4%	2%	-0.4%	2.2%	-0.2%
Less than 2 years	13.6%	2%	-11.6%	1.9%	0.1%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	68.9%	76.7%	-7.8%
Italy	3.1%	0.6%	2.5%
Portugal	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Spain	0.5%	0.4%	0.1%
Lithuania	3.6%	0.3%	3.3%
Poland	2%	1.3%	0.7%
Romania	0.5%	0.9%	-0.4%
Other EU countries	2.6%	1.5%	1.1%
Middle East	0.5%	0.1%	0.4%
Southern Asia	0.5%	1.2%	-0.7%
South-East Asia	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
North America and the Caribbean	2%	0.3%	1.7%
No passport held	14.8%	13.5%	1.3%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	40.2%	37.2%	3.0%
Christian	53.1%	46.2%	6.9%
Buddhist	1.5%	0.5%	1.0%
Sikh	1.5%	0.9%	0.6%
Not answered	3.6%	6.0%	-2.4%

Safety

Is Merton Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merton Road was 57.9 per 1,000 residents, which is 7.5% higher than the De Parys average. The most reported crime type was Criminal damage and arson.

Merton Road has the 27th highest crime rate of 73 local areas in De Parys and the 259th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 10.5 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 2.6%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 65% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£49,300

Income Rank
7/10

Household Income in MK40 3AF, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 7/10 (above average )
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 - 6/10 (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 - 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 - 7/10 (above average )
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 - 6/10 (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) - 5/10 (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) - 5/10 (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 Merton Road are based on 81 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 Merton Road, Bedford, MK40 3AF

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 3AF

Average Price
£361,121

Semi-Detached
£659,115

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£888,342

Flats/Maisonettes
£170,998

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merton Road

Average Price
£196,952

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£775,641

Flats/Maisonettes
£174,694

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merton Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat C 5 Merton Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£191,000	2025-05-12	£200,058
Flat D 5 Merton Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£160,000	2024-12-13	£164,036
Flat D 11 Merton Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£160,000	2024-10-29	£163,871
3 Merton Road, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£1,020,000	2022-08-01	£1,080,482
4 Merton Road, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£375,000	2021-03-30	£460,938

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 3AF

Employment

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	71
Retired	24
Part-Time Employee	22
Long-Term Sick or disabled	15
Student (economically inactive)	10
Other	9
Looking after home or family	7
Unemployed	7
Self-Employed	6
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	2

Employment Industry

Education	16
Human health and social work activities	14
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	13
Manufacturing	9
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	9
Other	7
Professional, scientific and technical activities	6
Administrative and support service activities	6
Information and communication	5
Transport and storage	4
Financial and insurance activities	3
Construction	3
Accommodation and food service activities	2
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,336 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	2,353 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Castle Newnham School Goldington Road , MK40 3EP	4out of 4	577 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DQ	4out of 4	854 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Hazeldene School Stancliffe Road , MK41 9AT	3out of 4	1,263 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Livingstone Primary School Clapham Road , MK41 7LG	3out of 4	1,301 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
The Hills Academy Stancliffe Road , MK41 9AT	4out of 4	1,306 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	599 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	1,118 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	1,451 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	4out of 4	2,264 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Mark Rutherford School Wentworth Drive , MK41 8PX	3out of 4	2,649 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	1,397 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
St Andrew's School 78 Kimbolton Road , MK40 2PA	- not rated	104 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	414 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School Brickhill Drive , MK41 7QZ	- not rated	829 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	1,324 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	1,387 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
East London Foundation Outreach	Day Resource Centre, Bedford Health Village, 3 Kimbolton Road	275 yd
Taylors Kitchen	Bedford Rugby Union F C, Goldington Road	419 yd
Courtside Cafe	Riverside Lawn Tennis Club, Goldington Road	476 yd
Cater for occasions	6 Rothsay Gardens	518 yd
Three Rooms Fine Indian Dining	4 Kimbolton Road	520 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Bedford Borough Bowling Club Bar	Bedford Borough Bowling Club, Goldington Road	419 yd
Bedford Rugby (Ground, Bar & Marquee)	Bedford Rugby Union F C, Goldington Road	419 yd
Russell Park Social Club	69 Goldington Road	431 yd
The Park	The Park Pub And Kitchen, 98 Kimbolton Road	509 yd
Ours	38 St Peters Street	610 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Roosters	47 St Cuthberts Street	653 yd
Alia’s treat house		656 yd
Charles Biswell Catering		656 yd
Small Hours		656 yd
Paella Fella Bedford		656 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Village Choice Ltd T/A Budgens	Budgens, 82 Kimbolton Road	200 yd
Lidl Food Stores	5-9 St Peters Street	762 yd
BQUALITY AFRICA MINI MARKET	Flat D, Broadway Apartments, 30 The Broadway	872 yd
Tesco	63 High Street	1,019 yd
Sainsbury's	105-107 Tavistock Street	1,081 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
St Andrew'S School KIMBOLTON ROAD		231 yd
Goldington Road (Bedford Blues Rufc) GOLDINGTON ROAD	grass pitches	287 yd
Bedford Borough Indoor Bowling Club GOLDINGTON ROAD	indoor bowls	334 yd
Bedford And County Badminton Club BRADGATE ROAD		345 yd
Bedford School DE PARYS AVENUE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	494 yd
Castle Newnham School (Polhill Avenue Site) Polhill Avenue	grass pitches	512 yd
Riverside Tennis Club GOLDINGTON ROAD	indoor tennis centre, tennis courts	516 yd
La Fitness (Bedford Park) (Closed) 81-83 81-83 Kimbolton Road	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	619 yd
Bedford School (Gordon Fields Site) THE LODGE THE LODGE BRICKHILL DRIVE	artificial grass pitch	738 yd
The Pilgrims Centre THE LODGE THE LODGE BRICKHILL DRIVE		746 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	100 Mbit/s
Average download speed	161.2 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	600 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	600 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	10 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	17.4 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	49.24 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK40 3AF