Bower Street, Bedford, MK40 3RA

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK40 3RA has a slightly higher male population, with 51.4% 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	49.6%	48.6%	-1.0%	51.0%	-2.4%
Male	50.4%	51.4%	1.0%	49.0%	2.4%

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	34.6%	40.3%	5.7%	37.9%	2.4%
Married: Opposite sex	48.8%	43.3%	-5.5%	44.2%	-0.9%
Civil partnership: Same sex	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.1%	0.8%
Separated	1.9%	2.2%	0.3%	2.2%	0.0%
Divorced	11.4%	11.3%	-0.1%	9.1%	2.2%
Widowed	3.3%	2.2%	-1.1%	6.1%	-3.9%

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.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (85.2%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	57.3%	54.6%	-2.7%	48.4%	6.2%
Good health	31.5%	30.6%	-0.9%	33.6%	-3.0%
Fair health	8.5%	10.2%	1.7%	12.7%	-2.5%
Bad health	1.9%	3.5%	1.6%	4.0%	-0.5%
Very bad health	0.8%	1.1%	0.3%	1.2%	-0.1%

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 55.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	12.8%	10.7%	-2.1%	18.2%	-7.5%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	10.9%	6.9%	-4.0%	9.6%	-2.7%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	11.4%	10.7%	-0.7%	13.4%	-2.7%
Apprenticeship	1.9%	2.6%	0.7%	5.3%	-2.7%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	10.4%	12%	1.6%	16.9%	-4.9%
Degree or Similar	49.3%	55.4%	6.1%	33.8%	21.6%
Other	3.3%	1.7%	-1.6%	2.8%	-1.1%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 81.9% 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%	0.7%	0.7%	1.1%	-0.4%
Chinese	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.7%	-0.4%
Indian	4.6%	3.5%	-1.1%	3.1%	0.4%
Pakistani	1.5%	1%	-0.5%	2.7%	-1.7%
Black African	2.3%	2.8%	0.5%	2.5%	0.3%
Black Caribbean	0.8%	2.1%	1.3%	1.0%	1.1%
Other Black	1.2%	0.7%	-0.5%	0.5%	0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	1.2%	2.8%	1.6%	0.8%	2.0%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.2%	2.4%	1.2%	0.9%	1.5%
White	87.3%	81.9%	-5.4%	81.4%	0.5%
Roma	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Arab	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Other	0%	1%	1.0%	1.6%	-0.6%

Country of Birth

In this area, 80.3% 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	84.6%	80.3%	-4.3%	83.2%	-2.9%
European Union	3.1%	11.3%	8.2%	6.1%	5.2%
Rest of Europe	3.1%	1.4%	-1.7%	0.8%	0.6%
Africa	3.5%	2.5%	-1.0%	2.7%	-0.2%
Middle East and Asia	3.1%	2.5%	-0.6%	5.6%	-3.1%
The Americas and the Caribbean	1.9%	2.1%	0.2%	1.3%	0.8%
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	83.5%	79.7%	-3.8%	83.2%	-3.5%
10+ Years	0.8%	12.6%	11.8%	9.8%	2.8%
5-10 Years	1.5%	4.9%	3.4%	2.9%	2.0%
2-5 Years	5.8%	2.1%	-3.7%	2.2%	-0.1%
Less than 2 years	8.5%	0.7%	-7.8%	1.9%	-1.2%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	75.1%	76.7%	-1.6%
Ireland	1.4%	0.6%	0.8%
France	0.7%	0.3%	0.4%
Italy	2.1%	0.6%	1.5%
Spain	0.7%	0.4%	0.3%
Lithuania	2.8%	0.3%	2.5%
Poland	3.5%	1.3%	2.2%
Other EU countries	0.4%	1.5%	-1.1%
Other Europe	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
North Africa	0.4%	0.1%	0.3%
South and Eastern Africa	1.4%	0.2%	1.2%
Southern Asia	0.4%	1.2%	-0.8%
North America and the Caribbean	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
Central and South America	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
No passport held	10.2%	13.5%	-3.3%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	44.8%	37.2%	7.6%
Christian	41.3%	46.2%	-4.9%
Hindu	1.7%	1.7%	0.0%
Muslim	3.5%	6.5%	-3.0%
Sikh	1.4%	0.9%	0.5%
Not answered	7.3%	6.0%	1.3%

Safety

Is Bower Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Bower Street was 24.9 per 1,000 residents, which is 88.1% lower than the Castle & Newnham average. The most reported crime type was Anti-social behaviour.

Bower Street has the 9th lowest crime rate of 51 local areas in Castle & Newnham and the 96th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 7.1 crimes per 1,000 residents and have remained broadly unchanged year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -51.0%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a similar level level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 59% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£47,300

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in MK40 3RA, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 3/10 (low )
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 - 3/10 (low )
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 - 2/10 (very low )
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 - 1/10 (very low )
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 - 5/10 (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 - 6/10 (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 - 4/10 (below 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) - 1/10 (very low )
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 Bower Street are based on 192 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 Bower Street, Bedford, MK40 3RA

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 3RA

Average Price
£372,170

Semi-Detached
£361,500

Terraced
£375,727

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Bower Street

Average Price
£353,139

Semi-Detached
£368,795

Terraced
£352,834

Detached
£383,832

Flats/Maisonettes
£167,580

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Bower Street

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
139 Bower Street, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£380,000	2025-09-15	£377,843
139 Bower Street, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£240,000	2024-04-26	£258,178
165 Bower Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£375,000	2023-06-19	£403,345
169 Bower Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£395,000	2021-01-27	£483,645
149 Bower Street, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£292,000	2019-08-19	£374,971

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 3RA

Employment

MK40 3RA 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	107
Retired	32
Part-Time Employee	29
Self-Employed	24
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	12
Other	9
Looking after home or family	8
Student (economically inactive)	8
Unemployed	7
Long-Term Sick or disabled	5

Employment Industry

Education	28
Human health and social work activities	19
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	15
Professional, scientific and technical activities	14
Manufacturing	12
Other	10
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	9
Accommodation and food service activities	9
Construction	8
Administrative and support service activities	8
Information and communication	7
Transport and storage	6
Real estate activities	4
Financial and insurance activities	4
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	3

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	1,745 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	1,932 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	2,145 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	- not rated	76 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Goldington Road , MK40 3EP	4out of 4	76 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DQ	3out of 4	858 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
St John Rigby RC VA Lower School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DQ	- not rated	858 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Hazeldene School Stancliffe Road , MK41 9AT	3out of 4	1,447 yd	Foundation school	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	845 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	- not rated	845 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	990 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	4out of 4	1,249 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	2,494 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Goldington Middle School Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	- not rated	990 yd	Foundation school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Silver Jubilee Middle School Acacia Road , MK42 0HU	- not rated	1,657 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Bede's RC Middle School 112 Bromham Road , MK40 2QR	- not rated	1,750 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Brickhill Middle School Falcon Avenue , MK41 7DS	- not rated	1,934 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kingsbrook Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	2,019 yd	Community school	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	1,254 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	683 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	749 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
The Acorn School 15 St Andrew's Road , MK40 2LL	- not rated	793 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	963 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Bedford High School Bromham Road , MK40 2BS	- not rated	1,264 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
Courtside Cafe	Riverside Lawn Tennis Club, Goldington Road	219 yd
Sapori del sud	108 Castle Road	256 yd
A Casa asa di Anna	108 Castle Road	256 yd
Papillon Coffee House & Beloved Brownies	133 Castle Road	278 yd
2likeus	127a Castle Road	278 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Russell Park Social Club	69 Goldington Road	83 yd
Gordon Arms	The Gordon Arms, 118 Castle Road	247 yd
Devonshire Arms	The Devonshire Arms, 32 Dudley Street	428 yd
Bedford Borough Bowling Club Bar	Bedford Borough Bowling Club, Goldington Road	488 yd
Bedford Rugby (Ground, Bar & Marquee)	Bedford Rugby Union F C, Goldington Road	488 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Lee's Takeaway	131 Castle Road	278 yd
Papa Gigi's	Papa Gigis Pizzas, 109a Castle Road	293 yd
Chai Rasoi	167 Castle Road	324 yd
The New Golden Lion Chinese Takeaway	53 York Street	374 yd
The Denmark St Fish & Chip Shop	34 Denmark Street	391 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Village Choice Ltd T/A Budgens	Budgens, 82 Kimbolton Road	636 yd
Lidl Food Stores	5-9 St Peters Street	811 yd
Tesco	63 High Street	949 yd
BQUALITY AFRICA MINI MARKET	Flat D, Broadway Apartments, 30 The Broadway	1,016 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Riverside Tennis Club GOLDINGTON ROAD	indoor tennis centre, tennis courts	263 yd
Bedford And County Badminton Club BRADGATE ROAD		368 yd
Goldington Road (Bedford Blues Rufc) GOLDINGTON ROAD	grass pitches	381 yd
Bedford Borough Indoor Bowling Club GOLDINGTON ROAD	indoor bowls	448 yd
Russell Park PEMBROKE STREET	grass pitches, tennis courts	511 yd
St Andrew'S School KIMBOLTON ROAD		687 yd
Bedford School DE PARYS AVENUE	grass pitches, health and fitness suite, squash courts, swimming pool, tennis courts	752 yd
Bunyan Meeting Church MILL STREET		787 yd
Castle Newnham School (Polhill Avenue Site) Polhill Avenue	grass pitches	817 yd
St John Rigby Catholic Primary School POLHILL AVENUE	grass pitches	862 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	210.4 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	20.9 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK40 3RA