Ruffs Furze, Oakley, Bedford, MK43 7RS

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK43 7RS, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 53.8% 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	50.7%	53.8%	3.1%	51.0%	2.8%
Male	49.3%	46.2%	-3.1%	49.0%	-2.8%

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 7RS there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 58.6% 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	21.1%	23.7%	2.6%	37.9%	-14.2%
Married: Opposite sex	61.3%	58.6%	-2.7%	44.2%	14.4%
Separated	1.8%	1.4%	-0.4%	2.2%	-0.8%
Divorced	8.8%	6.5%	-2.3%	9.1%	-2.6%
Widowed	7%	9.7%	2.7%	6.1%	3.6%

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 (87.6%) 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	51.8%	55.8%	4.0%	48.4%	7.4%
Good health	35.8%	31.8%	-4.0%	33.6%	-1.8%
Fair health	10.5%	9.8%	-0.7%	12.7%	-2.9%
Bad health	1.1%	2.3%	1.2%	4.0%	-1.7%
Very bad health	0.8%	0.3%	-0.5%	1.2%	-0.9%

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.

In the area around MK43 7RS this area, 7.2% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	14.4%	7.2%	-7.2%	18.2%	-11.0%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	12.3%	6.8%	-5.5%	9.6%	-2.8%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	19.4%	15.5%	-3.9%	13.4%	2.1%
Apprenticeship	6.3%	6.1%	-0.2%	5.3%	0.8%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	12.3%	20.9%	8.6%	16.9%	4.0%
Degree or Similar	31.7%	39.2%	7.5%	33.8%	5.4%
Other	3.5%	4.3%	0.8%	2.8%	1.5%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 97.4% 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)
Other Asian	0%	0.9%	0.9%	1.6%	-0.7%
Black Caribbean	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	1.0%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Asian	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.9%	-0.6%
White	98.1%	97.4%	-0.7%	81.4%	16.0%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.1%	-0.1%
Other	1.1%	0.6%	-0.5%	1.6%	-1.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 92.2% 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	96.5%	92.2%	-4.3%	83.2%	9.0%
European Union	1.3%	4.3%	3.0%	6.1%	-1.8%
Rest of Europe	0.8%	1.7%	0.9%	0.8%	0.9%
Middle East and Asia	0.5%	0.6%	0.1%	5.6%	-5.0%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.8%	1.2%	0.4%	1.3%	-0.1%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	96%	92.2%	-3.8%	83.2%	9.0%
10+ Years	0%	5.2%	5.2%	9.8%	-4.6%
5-10 Years	0.3%	1.7%	1.4%	2.9%	-1.2%
2-5 Years	1.1%	0%	-1.1%	2.2%	-2.2%
Less than 2 years	2.7%	0.9%	-1.8%	1.9%	-1.0%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	84.6%	76.7%	7.9%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
France	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Italy	0.9%	0.6%	0.3%
Portugal	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Poland	1.7%	1.3%	0.4%
No passport held	11.3%	13.5%	-2.2%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	41.3%	37.2%	4.1%
Christian	52.9%	46.2%	6.7%
Jewish	1.4%	0.5%	0.9%
Not answered	4.3%	6.0%	-1.7%

Safety

Is Ruffs Furze Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Ruffs Furze was 3.0 per 1,000 residents, which is 92.7% lower than the Clapham & Oakley average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Ruffs Furze has the lowest crime rate of 27 local areas in Clapham & Oakley and the 3rd lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 3.0 crimes per 1,000 residents and have remained broadly unchanged year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -33.3%.

🔎 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 7RS, 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 Ruffs Furze are based on 53 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 Ruffs Furze, Oakley, Bedford, MK43 7RS

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK43 7RS

Average Price
£489,554

Semi-Detached
£520,938

Terraced
£469,383

Detached
£468,130

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Ruffs Furze

Average Price
£514,282

Semi-Detached
£510,717

Terraced
£527,225

Detached
£510,207

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Ruffs FurzeStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
39 Ruffs Furze, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£540,000	2024-07-18	£571,541
58 Ruffs Furze, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£475,100	2021-09-23	£548,112
54 Ruffs Furze, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£385,000	2020-12-22	£477,727
41 Ruffs Furze, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£517,500	2020-09-11	£644,422
70 Ruffs Furze, Bedford, Bedford Terraced, an established residential building	£329,000	2020-01-31	£416,391

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK43 7RS

Employment

MK43 7RS area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 1% 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	99
Retired	80
Part-Time Employee	36
Self-Employed	26
Student (economically inactive)	15
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9
Looking after home or family	6
Unemployed	4
Other	1
Long-Term Sick or disabled	1

Employment Industry

Human health and social work activities	25
Education	25
Construction	20
Professional, scientific and technical activities	18
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	17
Manufacturing	12
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	12
Transport and storage	9
Information and communication	9
Other	6
Administrative and support service activities	6
Accommodation and food service activities	6
Financial and insurance activities	4
Real estate activities	2
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Oakley Primary Academy Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	- not rated	263 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Oakley Lower School Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	- not rated	263 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Bromham CofE Primary School Grange Lane , Bromham MK43 8NR	3out of 4	2,436 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School
Rice Trevor Lower School Grange Lane , Bromham MK43 8NR	- not rated	2,461 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Ursula Taylor VC Lower School High Street , Clapham MK41 6EG	- not rated	2,669 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Lincroft Academy Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	- not rated	232 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Biddenham International School and Sports College Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AZ	3out of 4	4,432 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	3out of 4	4,579 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
St Thomas More Catholic School Tyne Crescent , MK41 7UL	- not rated	4,579 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Lincroft Middle School Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	- not rated	232 yd	Foundation school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Gregory's Catholic Middle School Biddenham Turn , MK40 4AT	- not rated	4,343 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Park Wood Middle School Hawk Drive , MK41 7JE	- not rated	4,460 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Beauchamp Middle School Hawk Drive , MK41 7JE	- not rated	4,460 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Bede's RC Middle School 112 Bromham Road , MK40 2QR	- not rated	5,034 yd	Voluntary aided school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Rainbow School Chestnut Avenue , Bromham MK43 8HP	- not rated	2,814 yd	Community special school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Greenacre Independent School Manton Lane , MK41 7FZ	- not rated	3,798 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bedford Modern School Manton Lane , MK41 7NT	- not rated	4,088 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Georgina Perkins School Young Life Centre , 163 Tavistock Street MK40 2SD	- not rated	4,896 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Polam School 45 Lansdowne Road , MK40 2BU	- not rated	4,925 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		602 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Oakley Sports and Social Club	Oakley Sport And Social Club, Church Lane		403 yd
The Bedford Arms	The Bedford Arms, 57 High Street		455 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Lincroft School STATION ROAD	grass pitches	209 yd
Grenidge Way Playing Field (Closed) Grenidge Way	grass pitches	264 yd
Lincroft School (Station Road Sports Field) STATION ROAD	grass pitches, tennis courts	441 yd
Oakley Recreation Association Sports And Social Club Church Lane	grass pitches	502 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	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	0.0%

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	39.8 Mbit/s
Average download speed	37.6 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	72.58 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	72.58 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	6.6 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	6.7 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	16.28 Mbit/s

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