Preston Road, Bedford, MK40 4DU

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK40 4DU has a slightly higher male population, with 52.1% 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	47.7%	47.9%	0.2%	51.0%	-3.1%
Male	52.3%	52.1%	-0.2%	49.0%	3.1%

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	34.2%	37.1%	2.9%	37.9%	-0.8%
Married: Opposite sex	52%	47.8%	-4.2%	44.2%	3.6%
Separated	1.8%	2.2%	0.4%	2.2%	0.0%
Divorced	6.6%	7%	0.4%	9.1%	-2.1%
Widowed	5.4%	5.9%	0.5%	6.1%	-0.2%

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	45%	49.2%	4.2%	48.4%	0.8%
Good health	34.7%	33.1%	-1.6%	33.6%	-0.5%
Fair health	12%	12.5%	0.5%	12.7%	-0.2%
Bad health	5.8%	3.6%	-2.2%	4.0%	-0.4%
Very bad health	2.4%	1.6%	-0.8%	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.

In the area around MK40 4DU this area, 33.8% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly higher than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	28.8%	33.8%	5.0%	18.2%	15.6%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	12.9%	15.2%	2.3%	9.6%	5.6%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	16.2%	9.3%	-6.9%	13.4%	-4.1%
Apprenticeship	2.1%	2.3%	0.2%	5.3%	-3.0%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	8.1%	12.4%	4.3%	16.9%	-4.5%
Degree or Similar	18.6%	24.2%	5.6%	33.8%	-9.6%
Other	13.2%	2.8%	-10.4%	2.8%	0.0%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 32.5% 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	5.8%	10.9%	5.1%	1.1%	9.8%
Indian	7.8%	4.8%	-3.0%	3.1%	1.7%
Pakistani	25.2%	34.7%	9.5%	2.7%	32.0%
Other Asian	10%	3%	-7.0%	1.6%	1.4%
Black African	2%	4.2%	2.2%	2.5%	1.7%
Black Caribbean	3.6%	3%	-0.6%	1.0%	2.0%
Other Black	0.4%	0%	-0.4%	0.5%	-0.5%
Mixed White and Asian	0.4%	0.8%	0.4%	0.8%	0.0%
Mixed White and African	0.7%	0.2%	-0.5%	0.4%	-0.2%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.1%	3%	1.9%	0.9%	2.1%
Mixed Other	0.9%	0%	-0.9%	0.8%	-0.8%
White	41%	32.5%	-8.5%	81.4%	-48.9%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%	0.1%	0.1%
Roma	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Arab	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%	0.6%	-0.4%
Other	0.7%	2.4%	1.7%	1.6%	0.8%

Country of Birth

In this area, 56.8% 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	60.6%	56.8%	-3.8%	83.2%	-26.4%
European Union	8.2%	15.3%	7.1%	6.1%	9.2%
Rest of Europe	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.8%	-0.8%
Africa	3.1%	3.4%	0.3%	2.7%	0.7%
Middle East and Asia	25.8%	22.9%	-2.9%	5.6%	17.3%
The Americas and the Caribbean	2%	1.4%	-0.6%	1.3%	0.1%
Oceania	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	60.4%	56.5%	-3.9%	83.2%	-26.7%
10+ Years	1.8%	22.8%	21.0%	9.8%	13.0%
5-10 Years	4.9%	5.6%	0.7%	2.9%	2.7%
2-5 Years	8.2%	10.1%	1.9%	2.2%	7.9%
Less than 2 years	24.7%	5%	-19.7%	1.9%	3.1%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	64%	76.7%	-12.7%
Ireland	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
France	1.2%	0.3%	0.9%
Germany	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Italy	3.8%	0.6%	3.2%
Portugal	2.8%	0.5%	2.3%
Spain	1.6%	0.4%	1.2%
Lithuania	0.6%	0.3%	0.3%
Poland	4.4%	1.3%	3.1%
Romania	2.8%	0.9%	1.9%
Other EU countries	2.2%	1.5%	0.7%
North Africa	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
South and Eastern Africa	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Southern Asia	6.6%	1.2%	5.4%
Oceania	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
No passport held	8.8%	13.5%	-4.7%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	15%	37.2%	-22.2%
Christian	24%	46.2%	-22.2%
Buddhist	0.2%	0.5%	-0.3%
Hindu	1.8%	1.7%	0.1%
Muslim	47%	6.5%	40.5%
Sikh	2.8%	0.9%	1.9%
Other religion	1.2%	0.6%	0.6%
Not answered	8.1%	6.0%	2.1%

Safety

Is Preston Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Preston Road was 51.2 per 1,000 residents, which is 83.4% lower than the Greyfriars average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Preston Road has the 7th lowest crime rate of 22 local areas in Greyfriars and the 243rd lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 20.5 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -33.8%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a similar level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 55% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have higher average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£43,600

Income Rank
5/10

Household Income in MK40 4DU, 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 - 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 - 8/10 (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 - 7/10 (above 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 - 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) - 7/10 (above 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) - 9/10 (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 Preston Road are based on 39 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 Preston Road, Bedford, MK40 4DU

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 4DU

Average Price
£268,618

Semi-Detached
£270,566

Terraced
£264,517

Detached
£300,301

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Preston Road

Average Price
£292,798

Semi-Detached
£307,953

Terraced
£283,326

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Preston Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
45 Preston Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£220,000	2025-06-13	£228,687
41 Preston Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£250,000	2024-06-27	£270,555
3 Preston Road, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£230,000	2022-04-12	£249,979
45 Preston Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£238,000	2021-08-16	£276,922
27 Preston Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£165,000	2020-11-26	£206,348

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 4DU

Employment

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	109
Looking after home or family	47
Retired	45
Part-Time Employee	42
Self-Employed	33
Unemployed	19
Long-Term Sick or disabled	18
Student (economically inactive)	18
Other	13
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	12

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	24
Manufacturing	22
Human health and social work activities	19
Transport and storage	16
Administrative and support service activities	16
Education	15
Accommodation and food service activities	11
Construction	9
Information and communication	9
Other	8
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	8
Professional, scientific and technical activities	4
Financial and insurance activities	3
Real estate activities	2
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	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	1,478 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	1,619 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,163 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Marlborough Lower School Marlborough Road , MK40 4LE	- not rated	227 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Academy Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	3out of 4	445 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Lower School Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	- not rated	445 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St Joseph's RC Lower School Chester Road , MK40 4HN	- not rated	547 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St Joseph's RC Lower School Chester Road , MK40 4HN	- not rated	547 yd	Voluntary aided school	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	922 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	4out of 4	1,414 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	2,682 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	- not rated	2,682 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	2,748 yd	Academy converter	No	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	602 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Gregory's Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AT	- not rated	713 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road , Kempston MK42 8PU	- not rated	2,380 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road , Kempston MK42 8PU	- not rated	2,380 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Silver Jubilee Middle School Acacia Road , MK42 0HU	- not rated	2,701 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	1,298 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	760 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Georgina Perkins School Young Life Centre , 163 Tavistock Street MK40 2SD	- not rated	1,049 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford High School Bromham Road , MK40 2BS	- not rated	1,063 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Teaching Service for Excluded Pupils 2nd Floor, Riverside Suite , County Hall MK42 9AP	- not rated	1,159 yd	Miscellaneous	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	- not rated	1,229 yd	Foundation special 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
LIME STREET BUFFET LIMITED	12 Lime Street	110 yd
Top Dessert	43 Ford End Road	449 yd
Royal Sweets	57 Ford End Road	451 yd
Top Slice pizza	49 Ford End Road	451 yd
Starbucks Coffee	Bedford Railway Station, Ashburnham Road	464 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Queen PH	The Queen, 36 Preston Road	34 yd
RAFA Club	93 Ashburnham Road	452 yd
Pride of Poland Limited	20 Ashburnham Road	464 yd
Kalooki Club	2 Spenser Road	468 yd
West Indian Cultural & Social Society	2 Woburn Road	568 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Dynamite	66 Iddesleigh Road	339 yd
Tasty Chicken	13 Ford End Road	442 yd
Hayat Peri Peri & Pizza	39 Ford End Road	451 yd
Holy Grill Ghost Kitchen	2 Westbourne Road	456 yd
Pizzeria Polakito	20 Ashburnham Road	464 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Iceland Foods Ltd	7-11 Midland Road	110 yd
POD ORLEM POLSKI SKLEP	55 Ford End Road	451 yd
Tesco	8-12 Ford End Road	496 yd
M-C-N Store Limited	131 Midland Road	687 yd
Bedford Fruit and Vegetable Ltd	109 Midland Road	800 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Bedford Girls' School Playing Fields (Closed) Beverley Grove	grass pitches, tennis courts	643 yd
Westfield School CHESTER ROAD	grass pitches	652 yd
St. Gregorys Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn	grass pitches	727 yd
Samsons Fitness MIDLAND ROAD	health and fitness suite	801 yd
Bedford Sports And Hockey Centre THE PAVILION THE PAVILION CHESTER ROAD	artificial grass pitch	803 yd
University Of Bedfordshire (Lansdowne Road Campus) (Closed) Lansdowne Road	swimming pool	806 yd
Allen Park OLD FORD END ROAD	grass pitches, tennis courts	862 yd
Alexander Sports Centre SIDNEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	873 yd
Biddenham International School And Sports College BIDDENHAM TURN	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	922 yd
Rushmoor School RUSHMOOR SCHOOL RUSHMOOR SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE ROAD		942 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	105.1 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	200 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	200 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	14.7 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	30.04 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK40 4DU