The Furlong, Oakley, Bedford, MK43 7RD

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around MK43 7RD is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 48.1%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	51%	51.9%	0.9%	51.0%	0.9%
Male	49%	48.1%	-0.9%	49.0%	-0.9%

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 vicinity of MK43 7RD there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 58% 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	24.4%	26.6%	2.2%	37.9%	-11.3%
Married: Opposite sex	64.1%	58%	-6.1%	44.2%	13.8%
Married: Same sex	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.3%	0.3%
Separated	2%	1.7%	-0.3%	2.2%	-0.5%
Divorced	6.4%	7.6%	1.2%	9.1%	-1.5%
Widowed	3.1%	5.6%	2.5%	6.1%	-0.5%

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 (88.2%) 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	54.3%	55.5%	1.2%	48.4%	7.1%
Good health	33.6%	32.7%	-0.9%	33.6%	-0.9%
Fair health	10.2%	8.9%	-1.3%	12.7%	-3.8%
Bad health	1.6%	1.8%	0.2%	4.0%	-2.2%
Very bad health	0.2%	1.1%	0.9%	1.2%	-0.1%

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 high percentage of residents with higher education degree or similar. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 44.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	12%	11.5%	-0.5%	18.2%	-6.7%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	12.3%	7%	-5.3%	9.6%	-2.6%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	17.4%	13.1%	-4.3%	13.4%	-0.3%
Apprenticeship	4.8%	5.3%	0.5%	5.3%	0.0%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	13.2%	16.5%	3.3%	16.9%	-0.4%
Degree or Similar	37.3%	44.4%	7.1%	33.8%	10.6%
Other	3.1%	2.2%	-0.9%	2.8%	-0.6%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 95.6% identifying as such, significantly higher than the UK average of 81.4%. This indicates a lower level of ethnic diversity compared to the broader UK population.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	0.7%	0.2%	-0.5%	0.7%	-0.5%
Indian	0.2%	0.7%	0.5%	3.1%	-2.4%
Black African	0%	0.7%	0.7%	2.5%	-1.8%
Mixed White and Asian	0.7%	0.7%	0.0%	0.8%	-0.1%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.4%	-0.2%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0.7%	0.9%	0.2%	0.9%	0.0%
Mixed Other	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	0.8%	-0.8%
White	97.3%	95.6%	-1.7%	81.4%	14.2%
Roma	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.2%	0.7%
Other	0.2%	0%	-0.2%	1.6%	-1.6%

Country of Birth

In this area, 95.2% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is higher than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	94.9%	95.2%	0.3%	83.2%	12.0%
European Union	2.4%	2.1%	-0.3%	6.1%	-4.0%
Rest of Europe	0.2%	0.7%	0.5%	0.8%	-0.1%
Africa	0.4%	0.2%	-0.2%	2.7%	-2.5%
Middle East and Asia	0.9%	0.9%	0.0%	5.6%	-4.7%
The Americas and the Caribbean	1.1%	0.7%	-0.4%	1.3%	-0.6%
Oceania	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.3%	-0.1%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	94.4%	95.2%	0.8%	83.2%	12.0%
10+ Years	0%	3.9%	3.9%	9.8%	-5.9%
5-10 Years	0%	0.5%	0.5%	2.9%	-2.4%
2-5 Years	0.7%	0.2%	-0.5%	2.2%	-2.0%
Less than 2 years	4.9%	0.2%	-4.7%	1.9%	-1.7%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	89.9%	76.7%	13.2%
Ireland	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
Italy	0.5%	0.6%	-0.1%
Portugal	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Other Europe	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Central and South America	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Oceania	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
No passport held	7.8%	13.5%	-5.7%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	38.7%	37.2%	1.5%
Christian	52.9%	46.2%	6.7%
Hindu	0.7%	1.7%	-1.0%
Not answered	7.8%	6.0%	1.8%

Safety

Is The Furlong Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around The Furlong was 37.0 per 1,000 residents, which is 4.4% higher than the Clapham & Oakley average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

The Furlong has the 12th lowest crime rate of 26 local areas in Clapham & Oakley and the 168th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 23.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -35.4%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 69% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£50,500

Income Rank
7/10

Household Income in MK43 7RD, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 1/10 (very low )
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 - 1/10 (very low )
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 - 2/10 (very low )
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 - 2/10 (very low )
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 - 2/10 (very low )
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 - 1/10 (very low )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 5/10 (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 - 3/10 (low )
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) - 2/10 (very 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) - 2/10 (very 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 Furlong are based on 33 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 Furlong, Oakley, Bedford, MK43 7RD

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK43 7RD

Average Price
£356,112

Semi-Detached
£378,792

Terraced
£338,481

Detached
£481,813

Flats/Maisonettes
£211,874

Other
£306,573

Estimated Average Property Prices for The Furlong

Average Price
£411,238

Semi-Detached
£433,264

Terraced
£378,775

Detached
£546,664

Flats/Maisonettes
£214,670

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on The FurlongStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
5 The Furlong, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£360,000	2025-10-07	£360,000
23 The Furlong, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£300,000	2025-06-27	£313,960
11 The Furlong, Bedford, Bedford Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£170,000	2023-11-01	£173,414
12 The Furlong, Bedford, Bedford Other, an established residential building	£310,000	2023-08-17	£316,543
9 The Furlong, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£367,000	2022-09-02	£383,319

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK43 7RD

Employment

MK43 7RD 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.

The percentage of retired residents living in MK43 7RD area is much higher than the country's average. According to Census 2011, 32% residents of this area were retired, while the average in the UK was 14%.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	120
Retired	113
Part-Time Employee	41
Self-Employed	30
Student (economically inactive)	16
Looking after home or family	8
Unemployed	7
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	7
Long-Term Sick or disabled	7
Other	2

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	32
Education	26
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	25
Professional, scientific and technical activities	23
Construction	18
Human health and social work activities	18
Accommodation and food service activities	17
Manufacturing	15
Financial and insurance activities	11
Other	10
Administrative and support service activities	10
Transport and storage	9
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	4
Real estate activities	2
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Information and communication	2

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Oakley Primary Academy Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	3out of 4	925 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School Thurleigh Road , Milton Ernest MK44 1RF	3out of 4	2,193 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School
Ursula Taylor Church of England School High Street , Clapham MK41 6EG	3out of 4	3,210 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Bromham CofE Primary School Grange Lane , Bromham MK43 8NR	3out of 4	3,356 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School
Pinchmill Primary School The Old Road , Felmersham MK43 7JD	3out of 4	4,338 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Lincroft Academy Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	3out of 4	1,037 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	4out of 4	4,907 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	5,320 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bedford Modern School Manton Lane , MK41 7NT	- not rated	4,783 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Rushmoor School 58-60 Shakespeare Road , MK45 2RS	- not rated	5,092 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	Food hygiene rating	Distance
O For Coffee	Unit 1, Oakley Park, Station Road		365 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
The Bedford Arms	The Bedford Arms, 57 High Street		706 yd
Oakley Sports and Social Club	Oakley Sport And Social Club, Church Lane		954 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Grenidge Way Playing Field (Closed) Grenidge Way	grass pitches	671 yd
Lincroft School STATION ROAD	grass pitches	965 yd
Oakley Recreation Association Sports And Social Club Church Lane	grass pitches	1,030 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	89.2%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	89.2%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	89.2%

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	79.7 Mbit/s
Average download speed	77.1 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	160 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	160 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	17.3 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	30 Mbit/s

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