Elstow Road, Bedford, MK42 9LA

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The area surrounding MK42 9LA has a slightly higher male population, with 52.5% 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	40.6%	47.5%	6.9%	51.0%	-3.5%
Male	59.4%	52.5%	-6.9%	49.0%	3.5%

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 9LA, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 54.2% 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	39.9%	54.2%	14.3%	37.9%	16.3%
Married: Opposite sex	36.9%	29.2%	-7.7%	44.2%	-15.0%
Married: Same sex	1%	0%	-1.0%	0.3%	-0.3%
Separated	3.4%	2.5%	-0.9%	2.2%	0.3%
Divorced	12.3%	10%	-2.3%	9.1%	0.9%
Widowed	6.4%	4.2%	-2.2%	6.1%	-1.9%

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 (85.7%) 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	43.7%	49.8%	6.1%	48.4%	1.4%
Good health	36%	35.9%	-0.1%	33.6%	2.3%
Fair health	13.8%	8.3%	-5.5%	12.7%	-4.4%
Bad health	4.6%	4%	-0.6%	4.0%	0.0%
Very bad health	1.9%	2%	0.1%	1.2%	0.8%

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	27.6%	27.6%	0.0%	18.2%	9.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	17.7%	12.8%	-4.9%	9.6%	3.2%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	14.3%	9.1%	-5.2%	13.4%	-4.3%
Apprenticeship	1%	9.9%	8.9%	5.3%	4.6%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	7.9%	10.3%	2.4%	16.9%	-6.6%
Degree or Similar	18.2%	26.7%	8.5%	33.8%	-7.1%
Other	13.3%	3.7%	-9.6%	2.8%	0.9%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 53.2% 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	11.5%	10.3%	-1.2%	1.1%	9.2%
Indian	8.4%	12%	3.6%	3.1%	8.9%
Pakistani	10%	7.6%	-2.4%	2.7%	4.9%
Other Asian	1.1%	0.3%	-0.8%	1.6%	-1.3%
Black African	0.8%	2.7%	1.9%	2.5%	0.2%
Black Caribbean	1.9%	2.3%	0.4%	1.0%	1.3%
Other Black	1.1%	1%	-0.1%	0.5%	0.5%
Mixed White and Asian	2.7%	4%	1.3%	0.8%	3.2%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.7%	0.7%	0.4%	0.3%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.1%	0%	-1.1%	0.9%	-0.9%
Mixed Other	1.5%	2.3%	0.8%	0.8%	1.5%
White	59.8%	53.2%	-6.6%	81.4%	-28.2%
Roma	0%	0.7%	0.7%	0.2%	0.5%
Other	0%	3%	3.0%	1.6%	1.4%

Country of Birth

In this area, just 47.5% of residents were born in the United Kingdom, meaning that the majority of residents originate from outside the UK.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	67%	47.5%	-19.5%	83.2%	-35.7%
European Union	14.6%	31.7%	17.1%	6.1%	25.6%
Rest of Europe	0.8%	1.7%	0.9%	0.8%	0.9%
Africa	1.9%	2.6%	0.7%	2.7%	-0.1%
Middle East and Asia	13%	13.9%	0.9%	5.6%	8.3%
The Americas and the Caribbean	2.3%	2.6%	0.3%	1.3%	1.3%
Oceania	0.4%	0%	-0.4%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

In this area majority of residents originate from outside the UK. Only 47.5% of residents were born in the United Kingdom. 20.4% of residents have lived in the UK for 10 years or more.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	66.3%	48.2%	-18.1%	83.2%	-35.0%
10+ Years	5%	20.4%	15.4%	9.8%	10.6%
5-10 Years	6.5%	8%	1.5%	2.9%	5.1%
2-5 Years	6.5%	10.7%	4.2%	2.2%	8.5%
Less than 2 years	15.7%	12.7%	-3.0%	1.9%	10.8%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	50.5%	76.7%	-26.2%
Italy	2.6%	0.6%	2.0%
Portugal	1%	0.5%	0.5%
Lithuania	2.3%	0.3%	2.0%
Poland	11.9%	1.3%	10.6%
Romania	11.9%	0.9%	11.0%
Other EU countries	5%	1.5%	3.5%
Other Europe	0.7%	0.2%	0.5%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Southern Asia	4.3%	1.2%	3.1%
North America and the Caribbean	1%	0.3%	0.7%
No passport held	8.6%	13.5%	-4.9%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	20.5%	37.2%	-16.7%
Christian	40.4%	46.2%	-5.8%
Buddhist	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%
Hindu	2.6%	1.7%	0.9%
Muslim	22.8%	6.5%	16.3%
Sikh	2.6%	0.9%	1.7%
Other religion	4.6%	0.6%	4.0%
Not answered	5.6%	6.0%	-0.4%

Safety

Is Elstow Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Elstow Road was 567.6 per 1,000 residents, which is 246.6% higher than the Cauldwell average. The most reported crime type was Shoplifting.

Elstow Road has the 5th highest crime rate of 82 local areas in Cauldwell and the 14th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 201.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -26.7%.

🔎 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 9LA, 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 Elstow Road are based on 117 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 Elstow Road, Bedford, MK42 9LA

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK42 9LA

Average Price
£256,737

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
£256,737

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Elstow Road

Average Price
£371,370

Semi-Detached
£378,180

Terraced
£314,429

Detached
£506,839

Flats/Maisonettes
£146,086

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Elstow Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
10 Elstow Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£222,000	2020-07-24	£288,273
12 Elstow Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£223,000	2019-10-31	£284,332
10 Elstow Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£217,500	2016-08-05	£300,913
8 Elstow Road, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£167,000	2016-06-22	£235,045
12 Elstow Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire Terraced, an established residential building	£118,500	2004-04-14	£278,963

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK42 9LA

Employment

MK42 9LA 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	92
Part-Time Employee	30
Other	26
Self-Employed	22
Retired	16
Looking after home or family	16
Long-Term Sick or disabled	12
Student (economically inactive)	11
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	10
Unemployed	6

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	19
Transport and storage	15
Manufacturing	13
Administrative and support service activities	11
Human health and social work activities	11
Accommodation and food service activities	8
Education	7
Other	6
Construction	5
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	3
Professional, scientific and technical activities	3
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	3
Information and communication	2
Financial and insurance activities	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	479 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Peter Pan Nursery School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	4out of 4	725 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Shackleton Primary School Pearcey Road , MK42 9LZ	3out of 4	512 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Cauldwell School Edward Road , MK42 9DR	3out of 4	754 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
King's Oak Primary School Oak Road , MK42 0HH	2out of 4	1,230 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Priory Primary School Greyfriars , MK40 1JD	4out of 4	1,403 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Goldington Road , MK40 3EP	4out of 4	1,621 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Free School Cauldwell Street , MK42 9AD	3out of 4	541 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Academy Mile Road , MK42 9TR	3out of 4	1,446 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Daubeney Academy Orchard Street , Kempston MK42 7PS	3out of 4	2,322 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Castle Newnham School Polhill Avenue , MK41 9DT	3out of 4	2,357 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Goldington Academy Haylands Way , MK41 9BX	3out of 4	2,499 yd	Academy converter	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	668 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	301 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Girls' School Cardington Road , MK42 0BX	- not rated	585 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
St John's School Austin Canons , Bedford Road MK42 8AA	4out of 4	1,372 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford School De Parys Avenue , MK40 2TU	- not rated	1,613 yd	Other independent school	No	Boys	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	1,771 yd	Other independent 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
London Peri Peri Grill	34c London Road	150 yd
Caffe Pausa at Dunelm	4 London Road	212 yd
Starbucks Coffee Company	66 St Johns Street	258 yd
Costa Ltd	Unit 10, St Johns Centre, Rope Walk	360 yd
Kids World	9 Kingsway	408 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Meltis Sports and Social Club	Meltis Sports And Social Club, Miller Road	542 yd
Gardeners Arms	The Gardeners Arms, 12 Sandhurst Road	602 yd
Kings Arms PH	The Kings Arms, 24 St Marys Street	723 yd
Bedford Rowing Club	Bedford Rowing Club, Duckmill Lane	731 yd
The Rose	The Rose, 45 High Street	990 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Golden Fish Bar	26 London Road	150 yd
Pizza Hut	24 London Road	150 yd
Zest Pizza	32 London Road	150 yd
Subway	Pod A, London Road	212 yd
Wraps To Go	12a Fenlake Road Industrial Estate	367 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Farmfoods	Farm Foods, 4-6 Kingsway	544 yd
Morrisons Service Station Shop	Morrisons, Ampthill Road	676 yd
Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited	Morrisons, Ampthill Road	676 yd
SAS Supermarket	Unit 2, 82 Ampthill Road	766 yd
Tesco	Tesco, Cardington Road	912 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
The Gym (Bedford) London Road	health and fitness suite	217 yd
Bedford Girls School CARDINGTON ROAD	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	603 yd
Bedford Free School CAULDWELL HOUSE CAULDWELL HOUSE CAULDWELL STREET		630 yd
Pace Health Club (Bedford) (Closed) St. Marys Street	health and fitness suite	779 yd
Bedford College CAULDWELL STREET	health and fitness suite	790 yd
Meltis Sports And Social Club MILLER COURT	grass pitches	967 yd
Harrowden Middle School (Closed) Oak Road	grass pitches	1,034 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	80.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	80.0%

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%

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

Overview of MK42 9LA