Arkwright Road, Milton Ernest, Bedford, MK44 1SE

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK44 1SE, 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	50.5%	53.2%	2.7%	51.0%	2.2%
Male	49.5%	46.8%	-2.7%	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.

In the immediate vicinity of MK44 1SE there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 54.1% 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	20.1%	28.3%	8.2%	37.9%	-9.6%
Married: Opposite sex	65.8%	54.1%	-11.7%	44.2%	9.9%
Civil partnership: Opposite sex	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.1%	0.5%
Separated	1.9%	0.6%	-1.3%	2.2%	-1.6%
Divorced	9.4%	10.5%	1.1%	9.1%	1.4%
Widowed	2.8%	5.7%	2.9%	6.1%	-0.4%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	50%	54.7%	4.7%	48.4%	6.3%
Good health	37.1%	29.8%	-7.3%	33.6%	-3.8%
Fair health	9.4%	12.6%	3.2%	12.7%	-0.1%
Bad health	3%	2.7%	-0.3%	4.0%	-1.3%
Very bad health	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	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 MK44 1SE this area, 9.1% 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	14.1%	9.1%	-5.0%	18.2%	-9.1%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	10.7%	5%	-5.7%	9.6%	-4.6%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	13.2%	18.6%	5.4%	13.4%	5.2%
Apprenticeship	3.1%	6%	2.9%	5.3%	0.7%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	12.9%	17.4%	4.5%	16.9%	0.5%
Degree or Similar	43.9%	41%	-2.9%	33.8%	7.2%
Other	2.2%	2.8%	0.6%	2.8%	0.0%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 90.9% 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)
Bangladeshi	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.1%	-0.8%
Chinese	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.7%	-0.7%
Indian	0.3%	1.9%	1.6%	3.1%	-1.2%
Pakistani	0%	0.8%	0.8%	2.7%	-1.9%
Other Asian	2%	0.3%	-1.7%	1.6%	-1.3%
Black African	1%	1.3%	0.3%	2.5%	-1.2%
Mixed White and Asian	0.8%	1.1%	0.3%	0.8%	0.3%
Mixed White and African	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	0.4%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	1.5%	1.6%	0.1%	0.9%	0.7%
Mixed Other	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.8%	-0.3%
White	93.7%	90.9%	-2.8%	81.4%	9.5%
Other	0%	1.1%	1.1%	1.6%	-0.5%

Country of Birth

In this area, 90.7% 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	94.2%	90.7%	-3.5%	83.2%	7.5%
European Union	1.5%	2.9%	1.4%	6.1%	-3.2%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Africa	1%	3.5%	2.5%	2.7%	0.8%
Middle East and Asia	2.3%	2.1%	-0.2%	5.6%	-3.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	0.8%	0.5%	1.3%	-0.5%
Oceania	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	93.7%	91.4%	-2.3%	83.2%	8.2%
10+ Years	0.3%	7.5%	7.2%	9.8%	-2.3%
5-10 Years	1%	0.5%	-0.5%	2.9%	-2.4%
2-5 Years	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	2.2%	-1.9%
Less than 2 years	4.6%	0.3%	-4.3%	1.9%	-1.6%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	89.5%	76.7%	12.8%
Ireland	0.5%	0.6%	-0.1%
Poland	1.1%	1.3%	-0.2%
Other EU countries	0.5%	1.5%	-1.0%
South and Eastern Africa	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
No passport held	8%	13.5%	-5.5%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	39.8%	37.2%	2.6%
Christian	49.7%	46.2%	3.5%
Buddhist	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Hindu	0.8%	1.7%	-0.9%
Jewish	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Muslim	1.1%	6.5%	-5.4%
Sikh	1.1%	0.9%	0.2%
Not answered	7%	6.0%	1.0%

Safety

Is Arkwright Road dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Arkwright Road was 46.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 31.5% higher than the Clapham & Oakley average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Arkwright Road has the 10th highest crime rate of 26 local areas in Clapham & Oakley and the 230th lowest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 23.3 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -41.3%.

🔎 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 MK44 1SE, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 4/10 (below 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 - 4/10 (below 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 9/10 (very high )
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) - 4/10 (below 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) - 4/10 (below 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 Arkwright Road are based on 18 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 Arkwright Road, Milton Ernest, Bedford, MK44 1SE

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK44 1SE

Average Price
£489,507

Semi-Detached
£466,762

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£490,844

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Arkwright Road

Average Price
£559,448

Semi-Detached
£482,490

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£563,975

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Arkwright Road

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
1 Arkwright Road, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£445,000	2025-03-14	£450,644
10 Arkwright Road, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£505,000	2025-03-10	£511,405
1 Arkwright Road, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£365,000	2023-04-28	£376,610
1 Arkwright Road, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£405,000	2022-11-25	£411,743
4 Arkwright Road, Bedford, Bedford Detached, an established residential building	£470,000	2022-09-16	£483,988

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK44 1SE

Employment

MK44 1SE 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	121
Retired	86
Part-Time Employee	45
Self-Employed	21
Student (economically inactive)	18
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9
Looking after home or family	8
Unemployed	5
Long-Term Sick or disabled	1
Other	0

Employment Industry

Education	35
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	31
Human health and social work activities	27
Professional, scientific and technical activities	20
Manufacturing	16
Information and communication	16
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	13
Construction	10
Accommodation and food service activities	9
Administrative and support service activities	9
Other	6
Financial and insurance activities	6
Transport and storage	5
Real estate activities	4
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
Milton Ernest CofE Primary School Thurleigh Road , Milton Ernest MK44 1RF	3out of 4	476 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School
Pinchmill Primary School The Old Road , Felmersham MK43 7JD	3out of 4	2,886 yd	Foundation school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Oakley Primary Academy Station Road , Oakley MK43 7RE	3out of 4	3,069 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Sharnbrook Primary High Street , Sharnbrook MK44 1PF	4out of 4	4,180 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Ursula Taylor Church of England School High Street , Clapham MK41 6EG	3out of 4	4,599 yd	Academy converter	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	3out of 4	3,196 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Sharnbrook Academy Odell Road , Sharnbrook MK44 1JL	3out of 4	4,580 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	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
Queens Head	Queens Head, 1 Rushden Road		133 yd
Milton Ernest Garden Centre Café	Milton Ernest Garden Centre, Radwell Road		143 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Docklands Fresh Grimsby Fish	Milton Ernest Garden Centre, Radwell Road		143 yd
Bedford Grazing Co			611 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Milton Ernest Playing Field Radwell Road	grass pitches	288 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	33.5 Mbit/s
Average download speed	31.7 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	53.2 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	53.2 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	6 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	5.9 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	11.36 Mbit/s

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