The Crescent, Cotton End, Bedford, MK45 3AL

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding MK45 3AL, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 52.3% 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	50.6%	52.3%	1.7%	51.0%	1.3%
Male	49.4%	47.7%	-1.7%	49.0%	-1.3%

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	27.5%	29.4%	1.9%	37.9%	-8.5%
Married: Opposite sex	50.7%	44.8%	-5.9%	44.2%	0.6%
Separated	3.3%	5.4%	2.1%	2.2%	3.2%
Divorced	11.2%	12.9%	1.7%	9.1%	3.8%
Widowed	7.2%	7.5%	0.3%	6.1%	1.4%

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	40%	45.7%	5.7%	48.4%	-2.7%
Good health	35.6%	35.7%	0.1%	33.6%	2.1%
Fair health	17.4%	13.1%	-4.3%	12.7%	0.4%
Bad health	6.2%	4%	-2.2%	4.0%	0.0%
Very bad health	0.9%	1.5%	0.6%	1.2%	0.3%

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 low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 22.8%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	30.8%	22.5%	-8.3%	18.2%	4.3%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	18.1%	9.8%	-8.3%	9.6%	0.2%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	17%	17.4%	0.4%	13.4%	4.0%
Apprenticeship	4.7%	8.3%	3.6%	5.3%	3.0%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	8.3%	15.9%	7.6%	16.9%	-1.0%
Degree or Similar	16.7%	22.8%	6.1%	33.8%	-11.0%
Other	4.3%	3.3%	-1.0%	2.8%	0.5%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 92.4% 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	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	1.6%	-1.6%
Black African	1.2%	1.5%	0.3%	2.5%	-1.0%
Black Caribbean	1.2%	1.5%	0.3%	1.0%	0.5%
Other Black	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.5%	-0.5%
Mixed White and Asian	0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.5%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	2.4%	2.4%	0.9%	1.5%
Mixed Other	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.8%	0.1%
White	95.9%	92.4%	-3.5%	81.4%	11.0%
Roma	0%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Other	0%	0.6%	0.6%	1.6%	-1.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 87.7% 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	92.1%	87.7%	-4.4%	83.2%	4.5%
European Union	5.6%	9.6%	4.0%	6.1%	3.5%
Rest of Europe	0%	0.9%	0.9%	0.8%	0.1%
Africa	0.3%	0.9%	0.6%	2.7%	-1.8%
Middle East and Asia	1.2%	0%	-1.2%	5.6%	-5.6%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.6%	0.9%	0.3%	1.3%	-0.4%
Oceania	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	90.3%	88.2%	-2.1%	83.2%	5.0%
10+ Years	0.6%	6.9%	6.3%	9.8%	-2.9%
5-10 Years	2.4%	3.6%	1.2%	2.9%	0.7%
2-5 Years	1.5%	0.6%	-0.9%	2.2%	-1.6%
Less than 2 years	5.3%	0.6%	-4.7%	1.9%	-1.3%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	73.9%	76.7%	-2.8%
Ireland	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Italy	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%
Poland	3.3%	1.3%	2.0%
Romania	1.2%	0.9%	0.3%
Other EU countries	2.1%	1.5%	0.6%
Other Europe	0.9%	0.2%	0.7%
North America and the Caribbean	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
No passport held	16.2%	13.5%	2.7%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	43.2%	37.2%	6.0%
Christian	52%	46.2%	5.8%
Buddhist	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Sikh	0.9%	0.9%	0.0%
Not answered	3.6%	6.0%	-2.4%

Safety

Is The Crescent Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around The Crescent was 88.4 per 1,000 residents, which is 5.4% higher than the Shortstown average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

The Crescent has the 7th highest crime rate of 28 local areas in Shortstown and the 160th highest crime rate of 543 local areas in Bedford .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 67.1 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -29.5%.

🔎 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 MK45 3AL, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 6/10 (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 - 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 - 7/10 (above 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 - 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 - 9/10 (very 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 - 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 - 6/10 (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) - 6/10 (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) - 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 The Crescent are based on 89 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 Crescent, Cotton End, Bedford, MK45 3AL

Estimated Average Property Prices for MK45 3AL

Average Price
£277,272

Semi-Detached
£277,272

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for The Crescent

Average Price
£323,332

Semi-Detached
£355,012

Terraced
£475,950

Detached
£967,219

Flats/Maisonettes
£207,004

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on The CrescentStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
7 The Crescent, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£285,000	2023-08-17	£301,765
8 The Crescent, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£365,000	2023-01-13	£387,630
8 The Crescent, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£215,500	2014-08-12	£377,658
8 The Crescent, Bedford, Bedford Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£154,000	2009-08-28	£333,771
3 The Crescent, Bedford, Bedfordshire Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£88,500	2006-03-31	£186,113

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for MK45 3AL

Employment

MK45 3AL 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	100
Retired	55
Part-Time Employee	39
Self-Employed	26
Long-Term Sick or disabled	13
Other	10
Student (economically inactive)	10
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9
Looking after home or family	6
Unemployed	6

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	35
Construction	18
Transport and storage	17
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	16
Human health and social work activities	14
Administrative and support service activities	14
Education	13
Manufacturing	9
Accommodation and food service activities	7
Information and communication	5
Other	4
Professional, scientific and technical activities	3
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	3
Real estate activities	3
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	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	4,990 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Cotton End Forest School High Road , MK45 3AG	3out of 4	174 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Shortstown Primary School Beauvais Square , Shortstown MK42 0GS	3out of 4	2,286 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Wilstead Primary School Cotton End Road , Wilstead MK45 3BX	3out of 4	2,896 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Lakeview School School Lane , Off Brooklands Avenue MK42 6BH	3out of 4	3,161 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Haynes Lower School Foresters Close , Haynes MK45 3PR	4out of 4	3,717 yd	Community school	Yes	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	3,956 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Wixams Academy Green Lane , Wixams MK42 6BA	- not rated	3,972 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
KWS School 51 Brunel Road , Bedford MK41 9TJ	- not rated	5,199 yd	Other independent school	No	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
Bird of Prey Centre	Herring Green Farm, Cotton End Road		1,044 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
The Bell	The Bell, 61 High Road		242 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Cotton End Playing Field MEETING CLOSE	grass pitches	270 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	12.5%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	12.5%
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	74.1 Mbit/s
Average download speed	67.4 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	79.69 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	79.69 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	18.3 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	20 Mbit/s

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