Bedford Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8BL

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK42 8BL has a slightly higher male population, with 50.9% 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	47.6%	49.1%	1.5%	51.0%	-1.9%
Male	52.4%	50.9%	-1.5%	49.0%	1.9%

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 area around MK42 8BL, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 43.4% of the residents. On average, approximately 38% of individuals who responded to the census in the UK were single. Areas with higher single populations are typically urban centers, university towns, regions with dynamic job markets, rich cultural offerings and entertainment facilities. These regions also tend to have a younger demographic.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	41.2%	43.4%	2.2%	37.9%	5.5%
Married: Opposite sex	37%	42.7%	5.7%	44.2%	-1.5%
Married: Same sex	0.7%	0%	-0.7%	0.3%	-0.3%
Separated	3.2%	2.2%	-1.0%	2.2%	0.0%
Divorced	12.7%	7.5%	-5.2%	9.1%	-1.6%
Widowed	5.3%	4.3%	-1.0%	6.1%	-1.8%

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	44.8%	47.2%	2.4%	48.4%	-1.2%
Good health	39.1%	33.8%	-5.3%	33.6%	0.2%
Fair health	11%	15.2%	4.2%	12.7%	2.5%
Bad health	4%	2.6%	-1.4%	4.0%	-1.4%
Very bad health	1.1%	1.2%	0.1%	1.2%	0.0%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	21.1%	17.5%	-3.6%	18.2%	-0.7%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	15.8%	12.9%	-2.9%	9.6%	3.3%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	19%	16.8%	-2.2%	13.4%	3.4%
Apprenticeship	4.6%	3.9%	-0.7%	5.3%	-1.4%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	14.4%	14.6%	0.2%	16.9%	-2.3%
Degree or Similar	16.5%	29.3%	12.8%	33.8%	-4.5%
Other	8.5%	5%	-3.5%	2.8%	2.2%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 78% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	2.3%	0.9%	-1.4%	1.1%	-0.2%
Chinese	5.1%	0.3%	-4.8%	0.7%	-0.4%
Indian	5.9%	5.8%	-0.1%	3.1%	2.7%
Pakistani	0%	0.3%	0.3%	2.7%	-2.4%
Other Asian	0%	0.9%	0.9%	1.6%	-0.7%
Black African	2%	2%	0.0%	2.5%	-0.5%
Black Caribbean	1.1%	1.7%	0.6%	1.0%	0.7%
Other Black	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%	0.5%	-0.2%
Mixed White and Asian	0.8%	2.3%	1.5%	0.8%	1.5%
Mixed White and African	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	0.4%	0.5%
Mixed White and Caribbean	3.7%	4.1%	0.4%	0.9%	3.2%
Mixed Other	0.3%	0.6%	0.3%	0.8%	-0.2%
White	77.1%	78%	0.9%	81.4%	-3.4%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.1%	-0.1%
Other	0.6%	2%	1.4%	1.6%	0.4%

Country of Birth

In this area, 78.4% 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	86.7%	78.4%	-8.3%	83.2%	-4.8%
European Union	4.2%	11.7%	7.5%	6.1%	5.6%
Rest of Europe	0.8%	2.3%	1.5%	0.8%	1.5%
Africa	3.1%	2.3%	-0.8%	2.7%	-0.4%
Middle East and Asia	4.2%	3.2%	-1.0%	5.6%	-2.4%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.6%	0.9%	0.3%	1.3%	-0.4%
Oceania	0.3%	1.2%	0.9%	0.3%	0.9%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	85.6%	78.4%	-7.2%	83.2%	-4.8%
10+ Years	1.1%	12.2%	11.1%	9.8%	2.4%
5-10 Years	0.6%	5.5%	4.9%	2.9%	2.6%
2-5 Years	3.7%	2.6%	-1.1%	2.2%	0.4%
Less than 2 years	9.1%	1.2%	-7.9%	1.9%	-0.7%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	69.7%	76.7%	-7.0%
Ireland	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Italy	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Lithuania	1.5%	0.3%	1.2%
Poland	3%	1.3%	1.7%
Romania	2.4%	0.9%	1.5%
Other EU countries	2.1%	1.5%	0.6%
Central and Western Africa	1.2%	0.3%	0.9%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Southern Asia	0.6%	1.2%	-0.6%
North America and the Caribbean	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
No passport held	16%	13.5%	2.5%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	50.7%	37.2%	13.5%
Christian	37.3%	46.2%	-8.9%
Muslim	1.2%	6.5%	-5.3%
Sikh	3.5%	0.9%	2.6%
Other religion	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Not answered	5.8%	6.0%	-0.2%

Safety

Is Bedford Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Bedford Road was 254.8 per 1,000 residents, which is 94.4% higher than the Kempston Central & East average. The most reported crime type was Shoplifting.

Bedford Road has the 3rd highest crime rate of 59 local areas in Kempston Central & East and the 36th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 64.5 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 106.1%.

🔎 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. 52% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£45,500

Income Rank
6/10

Household Income in MK42 8BL, 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 - 6/10 (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 - 7/10 (above 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 - 8/10 (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 - 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 - 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) - 4/10 (below 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) - 4/10 (below 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 Bedford Road are based on 816 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 Bedford Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8BL

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 8BL

Average Price
£219,803

Semi-Detached
£312,796

Terraced
£193,883

Detached
£267,312

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
£121,357

Estimated Average Property Prices for Bedford Road

Average Price
£448,056

Semi-Detached
£391,833

Terraced
£299,095

Detached
£612,723

Flats/Maisonettes
£144,260

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Bedford Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
208 Bedford Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£193,000	2024-06-21	£209,662
Flat A 178 Bedford Road, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£330,000	2023-06-01	£356,521
204 Bedford Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£187,000	2021-06-25	£224,358
184 Bedford Road, Bedford, Bedford Other, an established residential building	£200,000	2018-10-08	£222,807
184 Bedford Road, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£200,000	2018-08-06	£250,767

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 8BL

Employment

MK42 8BL 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	118
Retired	44
Part-Time Employee	43
Self-Employed	19
Long-Term Sick or disabled	17
Student (economically inactive)	11
Looking after home or family	10
Other	9
Unemployed	6
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	1

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	26
Accommodation and food service activities	26
Human health and social work activities	22
Construction	20
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	19
Education	16
Manufacturing	15
Transport and storage	10
Administrative and support service activities	8
Professional, scientific and technical activities	8
Information and communication	6
Other	5
Financial and insurance activities	4
Real estate activities	1
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1
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	1,805 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	2,456 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Road Primary School Hillgrounds Road , Kempston MK42 8QH	2out of 4	148 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Camestone School Jowitt Avenue , Kempston MK42 8NW	3out of 4	790 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	2out of 4	1,076 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Balliol Primary School Balliol Road , Kempston MK42 7ER	3out of 4	1,081 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Rural Primary School Martell Drive , MK42 7FJ	4out of 4	1,642 yd	Community school	Yes	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	1,033 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Challenger Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	1,558 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	2,085 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	2,643 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	3,168 yd	Academy sponsor led	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	2,637 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	353 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	481 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	1,256 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Ridgeway School Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	1,694 yd	Community special school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	2,249 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
Diya Royal	The Griffin, 174 Bedford Road	2 yd
Cafe Mar-Chelles	243 Bedford Road	62 yd
Carmichael's Coffee	166 Bedford Road	141 yd
Costa Coffee	234 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	193 yd
The Hen Pen	2a Cleveland Street	209 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Kempston Constitutional Club	196a Bedford Road	2 yd
The Smiths Arms Public House Ltd	The Smiths Arms, 15 Margetts Road	388 yd
Daleys Club	86 Bedford Road	596 yd
The Duke Inn	The Duke Inn, 10 Woburn Road	682 yd
The Mulberry Bush	The Mulberry Bush, Springfield Centre	801 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Naims Tandoori	192 Bedford Road	2 yd
kempston Kebab	180 Bedford Road	2 yd
TGF Pizza Shop	184 Bedford Road	2 yd
The Pearl	12 Bunyan Road	102 yd
The Café Grill	14 Bunyan Road	125 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
J Sainsbury Plc (Main Store)	252-274 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	193 yd
Tesco	203-207 Bedford Road	204 yd
Co-operative	12-14 St Johns Street	647 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Kempston East Methodist Church 227 227 BEDFORD ROAD		66 yd
Grange Academy HALSEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	369 yd
Robert Bruce Middle School (Closed) Bedford Road	grass pitches	434 yd
Addison Howard Park Bedford Road	grass pitches, tennis courts	566 yd
Daubeney Academy ORCHARD STREET	grass pitches, tennis courts	907 yd
Kempston Pool HILLGROUNDS ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	943 yd
Cryselco Sports Field ST. JOHNS AVENUE	grass pitches	952 yd
Kempston Indoor Bowls Club HILLGROUNDS ROAD	indoor bowls	957 yd
Kempston Rovers Fc HILLGROUNDS ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	995 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	71.4%

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	79.9 Mbit/s
Average download speed	108.8 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	328.04 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	328.04 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	21.5 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	49.91 Mbit/s

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