Birchdale Avenue, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8NU

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK42 8NU, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 53.2% 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	50.3%	53.2%	2.9%	51.0%	2.2%
Male	49.7%	46.8%	-2.9%	49.0%	-2.2%

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	30.8%	36.3%	5.5%	37.9%	-1.6%
Married: Opposite sex	49.6%	46.8%	-2.8%	44.2%	2.6%
Separated	2.8%	1.1%	-1.7%	2.2%	-1.1%
Divorced	12.4%	10.1%	-2.3%	9.1%	1.0%
Widowed	4.4%	5.8%	1.4%	6.1%	-0.3%

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	44.2%	43.3%	-0.9%	48.4%	-5.1%
Good health	38.6%	36.5%	-2.1%	33.6%	2.9%
Fair health	13%	16.9%	3.9%	12.7%	4.2%
Bad health	1.9%	2.4%	0.5%	4.0%	-1.6%
Very bad health	2.3%	0.9%	-1.4%	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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	16.8%	16.2%	-0.6%	18.2%	-2.0%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	15.6%	12.2%	-3.4%	9.6%	2.6%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	15.6%	12.2%	-3.4%	13.4%	-1.2%
Apprenticeship	4.8%	6.5%	1.7%	5.3%	1.2%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	14%	17.3%	3.3%	16.9%	0.4%
Degree or Similar	24.4%	34.2%	9.8%	33.8%	0.4%
Other	8.8%	1.4%	-7.4%	2.8%	-1.4%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 66.3% 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%	0.9%	0.9%	1.1%	-0.2%
Indian	21.1%	17%	-4.1%	3.1%	13.9%
Pakistani	1.9%	3.3%	1.4%	2.7%	0.6%
Other Asian	2.6%	1.8%	-0.8%	1.6%	0.2%
Black African	0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%	2.5%	-2.2%
Black Caribbean	1.6%	0.6%	-1.0%	1.0%	-0.4%
Other Black	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Mixed White and Asian	1%	2.4%	1.4%	0.8%	1.6%
Mixed White and African	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.4%	-0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.3%	0%	-1.3%	0.9%	-0.9%
Mixed Other	0%	1.2%	1.2%	0.8%	0.4%
White	67.9%	66.3%	-1.6%	81.4%	-15.1%
Other	1.6%	5.4%	3.8%	1.6%	3.8%

Country of Birth

In this area, 76.1% 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	82.5%	76.1%	-6.4%	83.2%	-7.1%
European Union	4.9%	7.9%	3.0%	6.1%	1.8%
Rest of Europe	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.8%	-0.2%
Africa	0.6%	1.2%	0.6%	2.7%	-1.5%
Middle East and Asia	11.7%	14%	2.3%	5.6%	8.4%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.3%	-1.3%
Oceania	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	82.5%	76.1%	-6.4%	83.2%	-7.1%
10+ Years	1.3%	14%	12.7%	9.8%	4.2%
5-10 Years	0.6%	2.9%	2.3%	2.9%	0.0%
2-5 Years	1.6%	3.8%	2.2%	2.2%	1.6%
Less than 2 years	14%	3.2%	-10.8%	1.9%	1.3%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	81.1%	76.7%	4.4%
Italy	0.9%	0.6%	0.3%
Poland	3%	1.3%	1.7%
Romania	3.6%	0.9%	2.7%
Other EU countries	1.5%	1.5%	0.0%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Southern Asia	3.8%	1.2%	2.6%
Oceania	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%
No passport held	5.6%	13.5%	-7.9%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	23.8%	37.2%	-13.4%
Christian	46.8%	46.2%	0.6%
Buddhist	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Hindu	1.5%	1.7%	-0.2%
Muslim	4.4%	6.5%	-2.1%
Sikh	9.1%	0.9%	8.2%
Other religion	5%	0.6%	4.4%
Not answered	9.1%	6.0%	3.1%

Safety

Is Birchdale Avenue Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Birchdale Avenue was 83.6 per 1,000 residents, which is 36.2% lower than the Kempston Central & East average. The most reported crime type was Anti-social behaviour.

Birchdale Avenue has the 24th highest crime rate of 59 local areas in Kempston Central & East and the 172nd highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 40.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 35.5%.

🔎 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 8NU, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 5/10 (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 - 5/10 (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 - 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 - 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 - 6/10 (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 - 6/10 (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) - 3/10 (low )
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) - 5/10 (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 Birchdale Avenue are based on 34 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 Birchdale Avenue, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8NU

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 8NU

Average Price
£354,681

Semi-Detached
£348,117

Terraced
£419,602

Detached
£343,737

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Birchdale Avenue

Average Price
£381,740

Semi-Detached
£363,967

Terraced
£492,876

Detached
£376,630

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Birchdale AvenueStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
9 Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£312,000	2025-02-12	£326,126
11 Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£312,000	2024-03-11	£331,676
15 Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£300,000	2020-12-17	£374,380
8 Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£225,000	2020-07-29	£291,048
34 Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£265,000	2019-02-08	£339,072

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 8NU

Employment

MK42 8NU area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% 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	51
Part-Time Employee	39
Self-Employed	25
Looking after home or family	14
Student (economically inactive)	12
Other	11
Long-Term Sick or disabled	9
Unemployed	9
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	4

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	35
Education	22
Human health and social work activities	19
Construction	16
Transport and storage	13
Administrative and support service activities	11
Manufacturing	11
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	11
Professional, scientific and technical activities	8
Financial and insurance activities	6
Accommodation and food service activities	6
Information and communication	6
Other	4
Real estate activities	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	2
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	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	1,185 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	1,774 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Camestone School Jowitt Avenue , Kempston MK42 8NW	3out of 4	285 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Road Primary School Hillgrounds Road , Kempston MK42 8QH	2out of 4	778 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	2out of 4	900 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Cauldwell School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	3out of 4	1,150 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Balliol Primary School Balliol Road , Kempston MK42 7ER	3out of 4	1,614 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	771 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	2,076 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Challenger Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	2,116 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	2,166 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	2,485 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	2,094 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	595 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	801 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	1,141 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	No	Mixed	More About School
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	1,627 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Ridgeway School Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	2,249 yd	Community 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
The Pantry	88 Bedford Road	355 yd
Tiger Lily Chinese Takeaway	112 Bedford Road	355 yd
Blue Ginger	116 Bedford Road	355 yd
The Elephant Restaurant	118-120 Bedford Road	356 yd
The Hen Pen	2a Cleveland Street	494 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Smiths Arms Public House Ltd	The Smiths Arms, 15 Margetts Road	322 yd
Daleys Club	86 Bedford Road	338 yd
Addison Howard Centre	Addison Howard Park, Bedford Road	634 yd
T Bar	The Keep, Bedford Road	663 yd
The Mulberry Bush	The Mulberry Bush, Springfield Centre	689 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
New Oriental Fusion	76 Bedford Road	338 yd
Paul's Fish and Chips	114 Bedford Road	355 yd
Boba Aloha	136 Bedford Road	522 yd
Subway	209-211 Bedford Road	565 yd
KFC	197-199 Bedford Road	565 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Tesco	203-207 Bedford Road	565 yd
J Sainsbury Plc (Main Store)	252-274 Saxon Centre, Bedford Road	808 yd
Aldi	Aldi, Westville Road	969 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Addison Howard Park Bedford Road	grass pitches, tennis courts	559 yd
Kempston East Methodist Church 227 227 BEDFORD ROAD		675 yd
Southfield Tennis Courts LAUREL WALK	tennis courts	703 yd
Daubeney Academy ORCHARD STREET	grass pitches, tennis courts	711 yd
Grange Academy HALSEY ROAD	grass pitches, health and fitness suite	723 yd
Kempston Indoor Bowls Club HILLGROUNDS ROAD	indoor bowls	771 yd
Kempston Pool HILLGROUNDS ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	835 yd
Kempston Rovers Fc HILLGROUNDS ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	966 yd
Meltis Sports And Social Club MILLER COURT	grass pitches	1,092 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	80 Mbit/s
Average download speed	121.8 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	600 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	600 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	19.3 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	16.4 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	40 Mbit/s

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