Merchants Court, Bedford, MK42 0AT

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around MK42 0AT is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 49.6%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	53.6%	50.4%	-3.2%	51.0%	-0.6%
Male	46.4%	49.6%	3.2%	49.0%	0.6%

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	24.8%	38.7%	13.9%	37.9%	0.8%
Married: Opposite sex	24.2%	28.4%	4.2%	44.2%	-15.8%
Married: Same sex	0%	2.1%	2.1%	0.3%	1.8%
Separated	5.6%	5.2%	-0.4%	2.2%	3.0%
Divorced	16.1%	15.5%	-0.6%	9.1%	6.4%
Widowed	29.2%	10.3%	-18.9%	6.1%	4.2%

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	32.5%	44.9%	12.4%	48.4%	-3.5%
Good health	36.1%	36.4%	0.3%	33.6%	2.8%
Fair health	24.1%	15.6%	-8.5%	12.7%	2.9%
Bad health	6%	3.1%	-2.9%	4.0%	-0.9%
Very bad health	1.2%	0%	-1.2%	1.2%	-1.2%

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 50%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	31.7%	19.6%	-12.1%	18.2%	1.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	10.6%	2.1%	-8.5%	9.6%	-7.5%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	16.1%	9.8%	-6.3%	13.4%	-3.6%
Apprenticeship	2.5%	6.2%	3.7%	5.3%	0.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	8.1%	9.8%	1.7%	16.9%	-7.1%
Degree or Similar	28.6%	50%	21.4%	33.8%	16.2%
Other	2.5%	2.6%	0.1%	2.8%	-0.2%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 74.9% 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	0.6%	0.9%	0.3%	1.1%	-0.2%
Chinese	0%	2.7%	2.7%	0.7%	2.0%
Indian	1.8%	2.7%	0.9%	3.1%	-0.4%
Other Asian	0%	0.4%	0.4%	1.6%	-1.2%
Black African	0.6%	1.8%	1.2%	2.5%	-0.7%
Black Caribbean	1.2%	3.6%	2.4%	1.0%	2.6%
Mixed White and Asian	0%	1.3%	1.3%	0.8%	0.5%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.4%	0.5%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.8%	1.8%	0.0%	0.9%	0.9%
Mixed Other	1.2%	2.2%	1.0%	0.8%	1.4%
White	88.6%	74.9%	-13.7%	81.4%	-6.5%
Roma	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
Arab	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.6%	-0.2%
Other	4.2%	5.8%	1.6%	1.6%	4.2%

Country of Birth

In this area, 65.5% 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	86.7%	65.5%	-21.2%	83.2%	-17.7%
European Union	7.2%	17.3%	10.1%	6.1%	11.2%
Rest of Europe	0%	3.1%	3.1%	0.8%	2.3%
Africa	0%	4%	4.0%	2.7%	1.3%
Middle East and Asia	5.4%	4.9%	-0.5%	5.6%	-0.7%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.6%	5.3%	4.7%	1.3%	4.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	84.9%	65.2%	-19.7%	83.2%	-18.0%
10+ Years	3%	12.8%	9.8%	9.8%	3.0%
5-10 Years	2.4%	5.7%	3.3%	2.9%	2.8%
2-5 Years	3.6%	10.1%	6.5%	2.2%	7.9%
Less than 2 years	6%	6.2%	0.2%	1.9%	4.3%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	66.7%	76.7%	-10.0%
France	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
Germany	1.8%	0.2%	1.6%
Italy	4.8%	0.6%	4.2%
Portugal	1.8%	0.5%	1.3%
Spain	1.3%	0.4%	0.9%
Lithuania	0.9%	0.3%	0.6%
Poland	3.9%	1.3%	2.6%
Other EU countries	5.7%	1.5%	4.2%
Turkey	1.3%	0.1%	1.2%
Central and Western Africa	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
Southern Asia	0.9%	1.2%	-0.3%
South-East Asia	0.9%	0.2%	0.7%
North America and the Caribbean	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
Central and South America	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
No passport held	6.6%	13.5%	-6.9%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	38.7%	37.2%	1.5%
Christian	48.9%	46.2%	2.7%
Buddhist	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Hindu	2.2%	1.7%	0.5%
Jewish	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Muslim	4.4%	6.5%	-2.1%
Not answered	4.4%	6.0%	-1.6%

Safety

Is Merchants Court Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merchants Court was 180.9 per 1,000 residents, which is 16.9% higher than the Cauldwell average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Merchants Court has the 16th highest crime rate of 82 local areas in Cauldwell and the 65th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 92.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -51.4%.

🔎 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. 58% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have higher average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£42,800

Income Rank
5/10

Household Income in MK42 0AT, 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 - 7/10 (above 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 - 6/10 (average )
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 - 6/10 (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 - 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 - 8/10 (high )
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 - 7/10 (above 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) - 8/10 (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) - 7/10 (above 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 Merchants Court are based on 27 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 Merchants Court, Bedford, MK42 0AT

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 0AT

Average Price
£216,446

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£282,782

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£189,912

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merchants Court

Average Price
£251,059

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£354,288

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£214,929

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merchants CourtStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
17 Merchants Court, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£225,000	2025-11-07	£224,361
20 Merchants Court, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£212,000	2025-03-27	£222,125
11 Merchants Court, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£186,000	2023-06-30	£187,701
2 Merchants Court, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£185,000	2022-02-21	£190,565
17 Merchants Court, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£235,000	2021-11-08	£271,630

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 0AT

Employment

The percentage of retired residents living in MK42 0AT area is much higher than the country's average. According to Census 2011, 32% residents of this area were retired, while the average in the UK was 14%.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	83
Retired	63
Part-Time Employee	20
Self-Employed	10
Unemployed	7
Student (economically inactive)	6
Long-Term Sick or disabled	3
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	3
Other	0
Looking after home or family	0

Employment Industry

Education	10
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	10
Accommodation and food service activities	8
Other	7
Information and communication	5
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	5
Human health and social work activities	4
Financial and insurance activities	4
Professional, scientific and technical activities	4
Transport and storage	4
Manufacturing	3
Real estate activities	2
Administrative and support service activities	1
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Construction	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Southway Nursery School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	728 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	1,077 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	1,110 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Raleigh School Ampthill Road , MK42 9HE	- not rated	692 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Priory Primary School Greyfriars , MK40 1JD	- not rated	907 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cauldwell School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	3out of 4	1,115 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Cauldwell School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	- not rated	1,115 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Drake Lower School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	- not rated	1,115 yd	Community school	No	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	168 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	1,816 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	- not rated	1,816 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
John Bunyan School Mile Road , MK42 9TR	- not rated	1,984 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	2,007 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
St Bede's RC Middle School 112 Bromham Road , MK40 2QR	- not rated	1,152 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Silver Jubilee Middle School Acacia Road , MK42 0HU	- not rated	1,314 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kingsbrook Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	1,638 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Harrowden Middle School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	- not rated	1,638 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Middle School Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	- not rated	2,071 yd	Foundation 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	209 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	309 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Teaching Service for Excluded Pupils 2nd Floor, Riverside Suite , County Hall MK42 9AP	- not rated	388 yd	Miscellaneous	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	692 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Raleigh Education Centre Raleigh and Southway Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	728 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford High School Bromham Road , MK40 2BS	- not rated	850 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
Tana Thai	20-22 Cauldwell Street	194 yd
River Café	5 High Street	247 yd
McDonalds	9 High Street	247 yd
Nando's	3 High Street	247 yd
Baja	17 Castle Lane	265 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Bedford Rowing Club	Bedford Rowing Club, Duckmill Lane	29 yd
Kings Arms PH	The Kings Arms, 24 St Marys Street	42 yd
The Rose	The Rose, 45 High Street	293 yd
Astons	32 High Street	360 yd
Slug & Lettuce Bedford	53-55 High Street	387 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Lee's Kitchen	Lee's Kitchen, Duckmill Lane	29 yd
BB Tea	43 High Street	332 yd
Greggs	19 Harpur Centre	427 yd
Emporium cafe	18 The Boulevards	448 yd
Italian Express Pizza	33 Commercial Road	542 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Farmfoods	Farm Foods, 4-6 Kingsway	268 yd
Tesco	63 High Street	387 yd
Liana International Market	59 Midland Road	570 yd
Lidl Food Stores	5-9 St Peters Street	660 yd
Essential Supermarket	10-11 Thurlow Street	660 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Pace Health Club (Bedford) (Closed) St. Marys Street	health and fitness suite	88 yd
Bedford Free School CAULDWELL HOUSE CAULDWELL HOUSE CAULDWELL STREET		168 yd
Bedford College CAULDWELL STREET	health and fitness suite	252 yd
Bedford Girls School CARDINGTON ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	307 yd
Bunyan Meeting Church MILL STREET		424 yd
Flexibility Health & Fitness Club 1-3 1-3 SILVER STREET	health and fitness suite	488 yd
The Gym (Bedford) London Road	health and fitness suite	620 yd
Samsons Fitness MIDLAND ROAD	health and fitness suite	703 yd
Hmp Bedford ST. LOYES STREET	artificial grass pitch	811 yd
Trinity Arts & Leisure BROMHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	886 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	181.4 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	16.8 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	40 Mbit/s

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

Overview of MK42 0AT