Chester Road, Bedford, MK40 4HL

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK40 4HL, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 53.8% of residents 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	56.5%	53.8%	-2.7%	51.0%	2.8%
Male	43.5%	46.2%	2.7%	49.0%	-2.8%

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	33.5%	33.9%	0.4%	37.9%	-4.0%
Married: Opposite sex	46.2%	42.7%	-3.5%	44.2%	-1.5%
Married: Same sex	0.5%	0.9%	0.4%	0.3%	0.6%
Separated	4.5%	7.8%	3.3%	2.2%	5.6%
Divorced	8.6%	9.2%	0.6%	9.1%	0.1%
Widowed	6.8%	5.5%	-1.3%	6.1%	-0.6%

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	42%	37.8%	-4.2%	48.4%	-10.6%
Good health	39.2%	41.1%	1.9%	33.6%	7.5%
Fair health	14.8%	16.2%	1.4%	12.7%	3.5%
Bad health	3.4%	3.9%	0.5%	4.0%	-0.1%
Very bad health	0.6%	0.9%	0.3%	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 low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 22.5%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	34.4%	24.8%	-9.6%	18.2%	6.6%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	16.7%	17%	0.3%	9.6%	7.4%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	10.4%	15.1%	4.7%	13.4%	1.7%
Apprenticeship	1.8%	4.1%	2.3%	5.3%	-1.2%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	7.7%	12.4%	4.7%	16.9%	-4.5%
Degree or Similar	15.8%	22.5%	6.7%	33.8%	-11.3%
Other	13.1%	4.1%	-9.0%	2.8%	1.3%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 45.4% 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	14.8%	15.5%	0.7%	1.1%	14.4%
Chinese	1.2%	0%	-1.2%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	1.2%	1.8%	0.6%	3.1%	-1.3%
Pakistani	16.7%	20.3%	3.6%	2.7%	17.6%
Other Asian	3.1%	2.4%	-0.7%	1.6%	0.8%
Black African	9.6%	5.4%	-4.2%	2.5%	2.9%
Black Caribbean	0.9%	0.9%	0.0%	1.0%	-0.1%
Other Black	1.5%	0.3%	-1.2%	0.5%	-0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	1.9%	0.3%	-1.6%	0.8%	-0.5%
Mixed White and African	2.5%	0.9%	-1.6%	0.4%	0.5%
Mixed White and Caribbean	3.1%	2.4%	-0.7%	0.9%	1.5%
Mixed Other	1.2%	2.4%	1.2%	0.8%	1.6%
White	40.7%	45.4%	4.7%	81.4%	-36.0%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.1%	-0.1%
Arab	0%	1.5%	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Other	1.2%	0.6%	-0.6%	1.6%	-1.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 63.9% 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	62.3%	63.9%	1.6%	83.2%	-19.3%
European Union	11.1%	12.3%	1.2%	6.1%	6.2%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%	0.8%	-0.5%
Africa	7.1%	4.8%	-2.3%	2.7%	2.1%
Middle East and Asia	18.5%	18.1%	-0.4%	5.6%	12.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%	1.3%	-0.7%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	61.4%	63.5%	2.1%	83.2%	-19.7%
10+ Years	2.8%	24.3%	21.5%	9.8%	14.5%
5-10 Years	5.6%	5.4%	-0.2%	2.9%	2.5%
2-5 Years	10.8%	4.5%	-6.3%	2.2%	2.3%
Less than 2 years	19.4%	2.4%	-17.0%	1.9%	0.5%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	57.3%	76.7%	-19.4%
Germany	3%	0.2%	2.8%
Italy	2.7%	0.6%	2.1%
Portugal	1.2%	0.5%	0.7%
Lithuania	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
Poland	7.3%	1.3%	6.0%
Romania	1.2%	0.9%	0.3%
Other EU countries	0.9%	1.5%	-0.6%
Other Europe	0.6%	0.2%	0.4%
Central and Western Africa	1.2%	0.3%	0.9%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Southern Asia	5.2%	1.2%	4.0%
North America and the Caribbean	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
No passport held	17.9%	13.5%	4.4%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	25.2%	37.2%	-12.0%
Christian	26.7%	46.2%	-19.5%
Buddhist	1.5%	0.5%	1.0%
Hindu	0.3%	1.7%	-1.4%
Muslim	40.5%	6.5%	34.0%
Sikh	1.2%	0.9%	0.3%
Other religion	0.9%	0.6%	0.3%
Not answered	3.6%	6.0%	-2.4%

Safety

Is Chester Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Chester Road was 16.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 94.6% lower than the Greyfriars average. The most reported crime type was Anti-social behaviour.

Chester Road has the lowest crime rate of 22 local areas in Greyfriars and the 57th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 5.6 crimes per 1,000 residents and have remained broadly unchanged year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -79.4%.

🔎 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 4HL, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 9/10 (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 - 9/10 (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 - 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 - 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 - 5/10 (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) - 9/10 (very 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) - 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 Chester Road are based on 13 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 Chester Road, Bedford, MK40 4HL

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK40 4HL

Average Price
£190,495

Semi-Detached
£278,182

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£146,652

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Chester Road

Average Price
£133,311

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£182,505

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£129,212

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Chester Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
31 Chester Road, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£177,000	2015-03-23	£289,762
33A Chester Road, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£92,000	2013-12-20	£144,322
32A Chester Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£95,000	2004-12-21	£151,664
32A Chester Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£34,500	1999-12-10	£124,576

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK40 4HL

Employment

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	57
Part-Time Employee	35
Looking after home or family	26
Retired	21
Self-Employed	20
Long-Term Sick or disabled	19
Student (economically inactive)	11
Other	10
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9
Unemployed	9

Employment Industry

Human health and social work activities	22
Transport and storage	16
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	16
Manufacturing	12
Accommodation and food service activities	11
Education	7
Professional, scientific and technical activities	5
Administrative and support service activities	5
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	5
Information and communication	5
Construction	4
Other	1
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1
Financial and insurance activities	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	1,689 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	1,962 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,472 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
St Joseph's RC Lower School Chester Road , MK40 4HN	- not rated	78 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St Joseph's RC Lower School Chester Road , MK40 4HN	- not rated	78 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Westfield Primary School Chester Road , MK40 4HW	3out of 4	83 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Academy Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	3out of 4	182 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Queen's Park Lower School Chestnut Avenue , MK40 4HA	- not rated	182 yd	Community 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	455 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	4out of 4	1,909 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	2,546 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	3,226 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Hastingsbury Business & Enterprise College Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	- not rated	3,226 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
St Gregory's Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AT	- not rated	542 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Bede's RC Middle School 112 Bromham Road , MK40 2QR	- not rated	1,223 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road , Kempston MK42 8PU	- not rated	1,921 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road , Kempston MK42 8PU	- not rated	1,921 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Middle School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	- not rated	2,546 yd	Foundation 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	1,812 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	- not rated	1,195 yd	Foundation special school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	3out of 4	1,195 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	1,367 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Grange School Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	- not rated	1,477 yd	Foundation special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	1,477 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	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	719 yd
Royal Sweets	57 Ford End Road	760 yd
Top Slice pizza	49 Ford End Road	760 yd
Top Dessert	43 Ford End Road	775 yd
Starbucks Coffee	Bedford Railway Station, Ashburnham Road	1,052 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sport for Bedford Ltd	The Pavilion, Chester Road	13 yd
The Queen PH	The Queen, 36 Preston Road	643 yd
AFC Kempston Rovers Football Club	Kempston Rovers Football Club, Hillgrounds Road	921 yd
Kalooki Club	2 Spenser Road	979 yd
Pride of Poland Limited	20 Ashburnham Road	1,052 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Holy Grill Ghost Kitchen	2 Westbourne Road	540 yd
Dynamite	66 Iddesleigh Road	586 yd
Hayat Peri Peri & Pizza	39 Ford End Road	760 yd
Tasty Chicken	13 Ford End Road	860 yd
Pizzeria Polakito	20 Ashburnham Road	1,052 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Iceland Foods Ltd	7-11 Midland Road	719 yd
Tesco	8-12 Ford End Road	747 yd
POD ORLEM POLSKI SKLEP	55 Ford End Road	760 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Westfield School CHESTER ROAD	grass pitches	85 yd
Bedford Sports And Hockey Centre THE PAVILION THE PAVILION CHESTER ROAD	artificial grass pitch	204 yd
Allen Park OLD FORD END ROAD	grass pitches, tennis courts	276 yd
Biddenham Tennis Club Biddenham Turn	tennis courts	429 yd
Biddenham International School And Sports College BIDDENHAM TURN	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	453 yd
St. Gregorys Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn	grass pitches	525 yd
Hillgrounds Playing Fields ODELL CLOSE	grass pitches	766 yd
Kempston Rovers Fc HILLGROUNDS ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	911 yd
Bedford Girls' School Playing Fields (Closed) Beverley Grove	grass pitches, tennis courts	940 yd
Kempston Pool HILLGROUNDS ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	1,031 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	92.9%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	92.9%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	92.9%

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	165.3 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	600 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	600 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	17.8 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	17.3 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	40 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK40 4HL