The Briars, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 7RB

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK42 7RB 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	53.5%	47.9%	-5.6%	51.0%	-3.1%
Male	46.5%	52.1%	5.6%	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.

In the immediate vicinity of MK42 7RB there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 54.5% of the resident population. In contrast, the average marriage rate across the census is about 44%.

Areas with a high percentage of married residents are typically suburban neighborhoods, towns with good schools and family-friendly amenities, and regions with affordable, spacious housing options. Additionally, such areas can be popular among retirees.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	23.6%	27.3%	3.7%	37.9%	-10.6%
Married: Opposite sex	59.7%	54.5%	-5.2%	44.2%	10.3%
Married: Same sex	0%	1.1%	1.1%	0.3%	0.8%
Separated	3%	1.8%	-1.2%	2.2%	-0.4%
Divorced	6.8%	7.6%	0.8%	9.1%	-1.5%
Widowed	6.8%	7.6%	0.8%	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.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (85.8%) 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	45.9%	45.7%	-0.2%	48.4%	-2.7%
Good health	37.3%	40.1%	2.8%	33.6%	6.5%
Fair health	11.1%	10.8%	-0.3%	12.7%	-1.9%
Bad health	4.5%	2.8%	-1.7%	4.0%	-1.2%
Very bad health	1.3%	0.6%	-0.7%	1.2%	-0.6%

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 21.1%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	24%	20.7%	-3.3%	18.2%	2.5%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	20.2%	11.3%	-8.9%	9.6%	1.7%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	14.4%	16%	1.6%	13.4%	2.6%
Apprenticeship	7.2%	11.6%	4.4%	5.3%	6.3%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	11.4%	17.5%	6.1%	16.9%	0.6%
Degree or Similar	14.8%	21.1%	6.3%	33.8%	-12.7%
Other	8%	1.8%	-6.2%	2.8%	-1.0%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 77.1% 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%	1.2%	1.2%	1.1%	0.1%
Chinese	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%	0.7%	-0.4%
Indian	14.3%	12.2%	-2.1%	3.1%	9.1%
Pakistani	0%	1.5%	1.5%	2.7%	-1.2%
Other Asian	1.3%	2.4%	1.1%	1.6%	0.8%
Black African	0%	1.8%	1.8%	2.5%	-0.7%
Black Caribbean	1%	1.8%	0.8%	1.0%	0.8%
Mixed White and Asian	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.8%	-0.2%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.9%	-0.6%
Mixed Other	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.8%	-0.5%
White	79.3%	77.1%	-2.2%	81.4%	-4.3%
Arab	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.6%	-0.6%
Other	3.5%	0%	-3.5%	1.6%	-1.6%

Country of Birth

In this area, 83.7% 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	91.7%	83.7%	-8.0%	83.2%	0.5%
European Union	2.9%	7.4%	4.5%	6.1%	1.3%
Rest of Europe	0.6%	1.5%	0.9%	0.8%	0.7%
Africa	0.6%	1.2%	0.6%	2.7%	-1.5%
Middle East and Asia	3.8%	5.8%	2.0%	5.6%	0.2%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%	1.3%	-1.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	91.4%	84.5%	-6.9%	83.2%	1.3%
10+ Years	0%	11.1%	11.1%	9.8%	1.3%
5-10 Years	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	2.9%	-2.0%
2-5 Years	1.6%	1.2%	-0.4%	2.2%	-1.0%
Less than 2 years	6.7%	2.2%	-4.5%	1.9%	0.3%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	80.3%	76.7%	3.6%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Italy	1.2%	0.6%	0.6%
Lithuania	1.2%	0.3%	0.9%
Poland	1.5%	1.3%	0.2%
Romania	3.4%	0.9%	2.5%
Other EU countries	0.3%	1.5%	-1.2%
Central and Western Africa	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Southern Asia	0.9%	1.2%	-0.3%
No passport held	10.5%	13.5%	-3.0%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	31.9%	37.2%	-5.3%
Christian	52.1%	46.2%	5.9%
Hindu	1.8%	1.7%	0.1%
Muslim	2.8%	6.5%	-3.7%
Sikh	4.9%	0.9%	4.0%
Other religion	1.8%	0.6%	1.2%
Not answered	4.6%	6.0%	-1.4%

Safety

Is The Briars Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around The Briars was 24.8 per 1,000 residents, which is 81.1% lower than the Kempston Central & East average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

The Briars has the 8th lowest crime rate of 59 local areas in Kempston Central & East and the 95th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 18.6 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -76.3%.

🔎 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
£47,400

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in MK42 7RB, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 4/10 (below 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 - 4/10 (below 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 - 4/10 (below 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 - 6/10 (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 - 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 - 4/10 (below 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 - 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) - 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) - 3/10 (low )
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 The Briars are based on 26 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 The Briars, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 7RB

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 7RB

Average Price
£314,047

Semi-Detached
£309,417

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£330,253

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for The Briars

Average Price
£342,398

Semi-Detached
£328,355

Terraced
£353,413

Detached
£369,775

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on The BriarsStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
49 The Briars, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£236,000	2021-05-06	£290,756
39 The Briars, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£240,000	2019-09-27	£308,945
45 The Briars, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£265,000	2016-09-02	£355,356
49 The Briars, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£230,000	2016-08-19	£323,095
37 The Briars, Bedford, Bedfordshire Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£135,000	2009-02-03	£299,311

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 7RB

Employment

MK42 7RB area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 2% 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	106
Retired	73
Part-Time Employee	29
Self-Employed	28
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	10
Student (economically inactive)	8
Looking after home or family	7
Long-Term Sick or disabled	7
Unemployed	5
Other	4

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	38
Human health and social work activities	28
Education	17
Manufacturing	14
Construction	14
Transport and storage	13
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	10
Administrative and support service activities	9
Accommodation and food service activities	8
Other	7
Information and communication	3
Professional, scientific and technical activities	3
Financial and insurance activities	3
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Real estate 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	2,144 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,528 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	2out of 4	346 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Camestone School Jowitt Avenue , Kempston MK42 8NW	3out of 4	829 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Road Primary School Hillgrounds Road , Kempston MK42 8QH	2out of 4	891 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Balliol Primary School Balliol Road , Kempston MK42 7ER	3out of 4	957 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Elstow School Abbeyfields Road Abbeyfields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	1,977 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	3out of 4	469 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Challenger Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	1,397 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	2,929 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	3,041 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	3,056 yd	Free schools	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	3,092 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Kimberley 16 - 19 Stem College Green Lane , Stewartby MK43 9LY	- not rated	5,362 yd	Free schools 16 to 19	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	1,005 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	1,260 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Ridgeway School Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	1,506 yd	Community special school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	1,850 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	2,557 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
McDonald's	Mcdonalds, Interchange Retail Park, Race Meadows Way	422 yd
Costa Ltd	Unit N, Interchange Retail Park, Race Meadows Way	422 yd
KFC	Kfc, Interchange Retail Park, 3 Polo Field Way	422 yd
Burger King	Burger King, Interchange Retail Park, 3 Polo Field Way	505 yd
Caprinos Pizza	44-46 Bunyan Road	762 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Mulberry Bush	The Mulberry Bush, Springfield Centre	369 yd
The Duke Inn	The Duke Inn, 10 Woburn Road	615 yd
Royal Oak	The Royal Oak, 91 Woburn Road	658 yd
Kempston Constitutional Club	196a Bedford Road	989 yd
The Smiths Arms Public House Ltd	The Smiths Arms, 15 Margetts Road	1,042 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Cinnamon	2 Springfield Centre	369 yd
Mangal BBQ	3 Springfield Centre	369 yd
Kim Hing Takeaway	7 Springfield Centre	369 yd
Domino's Pizza	232 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	866 yd
R K Catering	42 Singer Way	881 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
J Sainsbury Plc (Main Store)	252-274 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road		866 yd
Co-operative	12-14 St Johns Street		890 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Daubeney Academy ORCHARD STREET	grass pitches, tennis courts	407 yd
Southfield Tennis Courts LAUREL WALK	tennis courts	663 yd
Cryselco Sports Field ST. JOHNS AVENUE	grass pitches	766 yd
Kempston East Methodist Church 227 227 BEDFORD ROAD		1,044 yd
Balliol Lower School BALLIOL ROAD	grass pitches, swimming pool	1,078 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	132.2 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	350 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	350 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	15.2 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	15.8 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	35 Mbit/s

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