Waltham Drive, Elstow, Bedford, MK42 9GA

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around MK42 9GA is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 49.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	53.5%	50.6%	-2.9%	51.0%	-0.4%
Male	46.5%	49.4%	2.9%	49.0%	0.4%

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	28.5%	32%	3.5%	37.9%	-5.9%
Married: Opposite sex	58.7%	50.6%	-8.1%	44.2%	6.4%
Married: Same sex	0%	1.2%	1.2%	0.3%	0.9%
Civil partnership: Same sex	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.1%	0.5%
Separated	3.4%	3.1%	-0.3%	2.2%	0.9%
Divorced	6%	8.7%	2.7%	9.1%	-0.4%
Widowed	3.4%	3.7%	0.3%	6.1%	-2.4%

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 (91.4%) 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	59.3%	59.2%	-0.1%	48.4%	10.8%
Good health	33%	32.2%	-0.8%	33.6%	-1.4%
Fair health	6.5%	6.7%	0.2%	12.7%	-6.0%
Bad health	1%	1.7%	0.7%	4.0%	-2.3%
Very bad health	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%	1.2%	-1.0%

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	12.1%	10.6%	-1.5%	18.2%	-7.6%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	14.4%	9.7%	-4.7%	9.6%	0.1%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	15.1%	15.9%	0.8%	13.4%	2.5%
Apprenticeship	2.3%	3.4%	1.1%	5.3%	-1.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	12.4%	17.2%	4.8%	16.9%	0.3%
Degree or Similar	36.9%	41.6%	4.7%	33.8%	7.8%
Other	6.7%	1.6%	-5.1%	2.8%	-1.2%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 61.4% 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	0%	0.2%	0.2%	1.1%	-0.9%
Chinese	0.5%	1.7%	1.2%	0.7%	1.0%
Indian	22.4%	16.9%	-5.5%	3.1%	13.8%
Pakistani	0.2%	1.2%	1.0%	2.7%	-1.5%
Other Asian	2.7%	2.2%	-0.5%	1.6%	0.6%
Black African	2.2%	2.7%	0.5%	2.5%	0.2%
Black Caribbean	2.4%	2.2%	-0.2%	1.0%	1.2%
Other Black	1%	0.5%	-0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Mixed White and Asian	1.7%	2%	0.3%	0.8%	1.2%
Mixed White and African	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.4%	-0.4%
Mixed White and Caribbean	2.2%	1%	-1.2%	0.9%	0.1%
Mixed Other	0.2%	1.7%	1.5%	0.8%	0.9%
White	63.6%	61.4%	-2.2%	81.4%	-20.0%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.1%	-0.1%
Other	0.2%	6%	5.8%	1.6%	4.4%

Country of Birth

In this area, 78.2% 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	84.1%	78.2%	-5.9%	83.2%	-5.0%
European Union	2.2%	10.5%	8.3%	6.1%	4.4%
Africa	1.7%	2.5%	0.8%	2.7%	-0.2%
Middle East and Asia	10.4%	8%	-2.4%	5.6%	2.4%
The Americas and the Caribbean	1%	0.8%	-0.2%	1.3%	-0.5%
Oceania	0.7%	0%	-0.7%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	84.1%	77%	-7.1%	83.2%	-6.2%
10+ Years	0.2%	18%	17.8%	9.8%	8.2%
5-10 Years	1.4%	2%	0.6%	2.9%	-0.9%
2-5 Years	1.7%	1.7%	0.0%	2.2%	-0.5%
Less than 2 years	12.5%	1.2%	-11.3%	1.9%	-0.7%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	83.9%	76.7%	7.2%
Ireland	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
Italy	1.7%	0.6%	1.1%
Portugal	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Poland	1.5%	1.3%	0.2%
Romania	4%	0.9%	3.1%
Other EU countries	1%	1.5%	-0.5%
South and Eastern Africa	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Eastern Asia	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%
Southern Asia	0.5%	1.2%	-0.7%
North America and the Caribbean	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%
No passport held	6%	13.5%	-7.5%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	23.4%	37.2%	-13.8%
Christian	50%	46.2%	3.8%
Hindu	2.7%	1.7%	1.0%
Muslim	1.5%	6.5%	-5.0%
Sikh	17.4%	0.9%	16.5%
Other religion	2.2%	0.6%	1.6%
Not answered	2.7%	6.0%	-3.3%

Safety

Is Waltham Drive Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Waltham Drive was 22.0 per 1,000 residents, which is 86.6% lower than the Cauldwell average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Waltham Drive has the 5th lowest crime rate of 82 local areas in Cauldwell and the 79th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 14.6 crimes per 1,000 residents and have remained broadly unchanged year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -51.1%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 80% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£55,000

Income Rank
8/10

Household Income in MK42 9GA, 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 - 5/10 (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 - 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 - 5/10 (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 - 4/10 (below 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 - 9/10 (very 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 - 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) - 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 Waltham Drive are based on 54 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 Waltham Drive, Elstow, Bedford, MK42 9GA

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 9GA

Average Price
£568,256

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£568,256

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Waltham Drive

Average Price
£575,349

Semi-Detached
£361,920

Terraced
£357,884

Detached
£692,364

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Waltham DriveStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
32 Waltham Drive, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£400,000	2023-02-03	£423,293
30 Waltham Drive, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£380,000	2021-02-17	£463,565
34 Waltham Drive, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£385,000	2018-11-19	£473,501
24 Waltham Drive, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£375,000	2017-11-10	£475,632
14 Waltham Drive, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£350,000	2014-07-31	£600,814

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 9GA

Employment

MK42 9GA 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	169
Retired	40
Part-Time Employee	37
Self-Employed	23
Student (economically inactive)	22
Other	11
Looking after home or family	11
Unemployed	6
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	1
Long-Term Sick or disabled	1

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	48
Education	32
Manufacturing	19
Human health and social work activities	18
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	18
Information and communication	17
Financial and insurance activities	15
Professional, scientific and technical activities	12
Construction	10
Transport and storage	9
Administrative and support service activities	8
Other	7
Accommodation and food service activities	7
Real estate activities	2
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cherry Trees Nursery School Hawkins Road , MK42 9LS	4out of 4	1,410 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	1,915 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Elstow School Abbeyfields Road Abbeyfields , Elstow MK42 9GP	3out of 4	296 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
King's Oak Primary School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	2out of 4	1,364 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Shackleton Primary School Pearcey Road , MK42 9LZ	3out of 4	1,388 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Cauldwell School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	3out of 4	1,898 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Springfield Primary School Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7LJ	2out of 4	1,937 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	890 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	3out of 4	1,863 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	2,426 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	- not rated	3,154 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Kempston Challenger Academy Hill Rise , Kempston MK42 7EB	3out of 4	3,662 yd	Academy sponsor led	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	2,545 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
E-Spired Centre of Excellence The Raleigh Centre , Ampthill Road MK42 9HE	- not rated	1,953 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	2,350 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	2,392 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Grange Academy Halsey Road , Kempston MK42 8AU	3out of 4	2,722 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Greys Education Centre Manor Drive , Kempston MK42 7AB	3out of 4	3,076 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	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
Sensations	24 Gostwick Road	673 yd
Mile Road, Allotment & Leisure Gardens Association	149 Mile Road	804 yd
Mile Road Cafe	91b Mile Road	824 yd
The Cottage	206 High Street	854 yd
K.M.J. Catering Ltd	Bunyan Centre, 187-189 Mile Road	986 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
The Bull	The Bull, 259 London Road		1,066 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Village Peri-Peri	20 Gostwick Road		673 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Tesco	13 Beauvais Square		588 yd
Best Stop Convenience Store	Unit 2, Abbey Chase, Abbey Fields		814 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Abbey Middle School (Closed) Mowbray Road	grass pitches, swimming pool	417 yd
Moor Lane Recreation Ground Moor Lane	grass pitches	473 yd
Elstow Playing Field WILSTEAD ROAD	grass pitches	601 yd
Bedford Academy MILE ROAD	artificial grass pitch	800 yd
Bedford Academy (Closed) Mile Road	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches	860 yd
John Bunyan Health And Fitness MILE ROAD	health and fitness suite, squash courts	942 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	184 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	10 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	15.2 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

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