Bedford

At a glance, population and employment estimates for Bedford.

Population
174,687
People in Employment
87,300 (74.6%)
People Inactive
24,935 (21.3%)
People Unemployed
4,855 (4.1%)
Number Of Jobs
74k
Median Salary
£29,225
Mean Salary
£33,852

Crime Statistics

You can view the number of crimes per crime type for this year and the previous. You can also see the trend for each crime type, which shows if crimes committed are getting better, worse or no change.

We also list all of the parliamentary wards for Bedford. You'll be able to see the crimes for this year so far and also how many crimes per 1000 people.

If you need to see crimes on a street level, you can use the interactive crime map which shows you crimes and their outcome.

Crime rate by type in Bedford for 2024

Bedfords most common type of crime is: Violence and sexual offences. In 2023 there were 5,649 crimes and in 2022 there were 6,776 crimes. Which is an decrease of 1,127 crimes.

Crime Type Previous Year Crimes This Year Trend vs previous year
Violence and sexual offences 5,649 397
Getting Better
Anti-social behaviour 2,825 201
Getting Better
Public order 1,479 92
Getting Better
Other theft 1,227 91
Getting Better
Vehicle crime 1,122 76
Getting Better
Criminal damage and arson 1,250 71
Getting Better
Drugs 586 42
Getting Better
Shoplifting 859 38
Getting Better
Burglary 658 30
Getting Better
Other crime 343 24
Getting Better
Bicycle theft 415 20
Getting Better
Possession of weapons 158 14
Getting Better
Theft from the person 166 12
Getting Better
Robbery 166 10
Getting Better

Number of crimes for Electoral Wards in Bedford

Think of Electoral Wards as the boundaries your local councillors represent in your area. Electoral Wards will help you get a better picture of how much crime takes place in and around the places you live.

Castle has the highest crime rate of all the wards in Bedford, with 10941 crimes and 402 crimes per 1000 people. Whilst Riseley has 46 crimes and 14 crimes per 1000 people.

Name Crimes in 2024 Crimes per 1000 people
Castle 334 56
Harpur 156 18
Queens Park 152 16
Kingsbrook 123 13
Oakley 88 16
Cauldwell 81 7
Kempston West 60 9
Goldington 50 5
Brickhill 45 6
De Parys 45 7
Kempston Central and East 33 5
Sharnbrook 30 8
Kempston North 24 7
Bromham and Biddenham 22 3
Great Barford 22 3
Putnoe 22 3
Harrold 21 5
Clapham 19 4
Kempston South 17 4
Newnham 17 4
Wyboston 16 4
Eastcotts 8 2
Kempston Rural 8 1
Wootton 7 2
Elstow and Stewartby 6 1
Riseley 3 1
Wilshamstead 3 1

Crime map for Bedford

Showing crimes from the beginning of the year up until 2024-07. Each Marker on the map represents a crime. Click on the marker to find out more about the crime. Please note, all crime locations are approximate.

Housing Statistics

View average house prices by year. We show property prices from 2010 up until the current year. You can also see property prices over time using our interactive chart.

Average property prices by year for Bedford

The average property price in Bedford is higher than the £290,000 UK average. This could indicate a property shortage in the area pushing prices up or that the average household income in Bedford is higher than average. Building and selling properties in Bedford could be more profitable.

Year Avg. Detached Price Avg. Semi-Detached Price Avg. Terraced Price Avg. Flat Price
2023 £593,132.48 £355,192.02 £275,478.18 £183,021.13
2022 £572,334.09 £344,851.26 £268,351.44 £179,255.33
2021 £508,143.01 £307,597.02 £241,325.09 £166,930.17
2020 £464,411.37 £284,121.67 £223,140.57 £158,947.81
2019 £464,955.15 £283,429.13 £222,795.18 £164,021.70
2018 £468,053.24 £284,860.80 £224,701.90 £167,995.43
2017 £450,887.66 £273,822.83 £216,417.97 £165,075.25
2016 £416,310.55 £253,164.89 £201,425.43 £150,000.27
2015 £367,978.10 £223,695.16 £178,651.34 £133,371.98
2014 £333,197.63 £202,972.21 £162,920.32 £121,665.28
2013 £307,608.44 £186,405.75 £150,050.58 £112,451.15
2012 £300,047.33 £181,690.45 £146,305.94 £111,432.41
2011 £295,443.36 £177,799.90 £143,043.91 £110,278.82
2010 £293,318.97 £178,795.94 £144,573.37 £111,896.71

Property prices over time for Bedford

Showing crimes from 2010 up until July 2024. You can use the interactive chart to zoom in on a timeframe to see greater detail.

Employment and Annual Salary information for Bedford

The median salary in Bedford is £29,225 and the mean salary in Bedford is £33,852.00. The median value is a better indicator of salary in a region since the mean salary can be skewed by a small number of people that are high earners.

Number of Jobs (thousands)
74k
Median Salary
£29,225
Annual Percentage Change
9.8%
Mean Salary
£33,852

Salary comparison between Bedford and East

See how Bedford compares to the rest of East. Jobs per thousand, median and mean salary as well as annual percentage vs last year.

The highest median salary in East is £36,416 in St Albans and the lowest median salary is £0 in Tendring. Bedford ranks 16 out of 45 in terms of median salary.

Location Annual Percentage Change Mean Salary Annual Percentage Change
St Albans 52k £36,416 -1.9% £56,468 12.8%
South Cambridgeshire 71k £35,367 4.9% £40,105 -1.3%
North Hertfordshire 53k £35,179 19.5% £40,413 15.6%
East Hertfordshire 52k £34,659 13.8% £50,553 19.2%
Brentwood 25k £34,561 26.6% £56,097 0.0%
Cambridge 46k £34,165 9.7% £39,909 2.9%
Central Bedfordshire UA 117k £33,686 11.4% £36,988 10.2%
Broxbourne 33k £32,996 21.3% £39,457 25.7%
Rochford 24k £32,685 2.8% £39,835 1.8%
Three Rivers 33k £32,665 11.6% £43,085 11.3%
Epping Forest 37k £31,370 9.3% £40,872 14.9%
Chelmsford 50k £30,977 5.1% £36,828 0.7%
Thurrock UA 54k £30,696 4.4% £34,156 2.4%
Watford 30k £29,915 3.7% £36,794 11.9%
Dacorum 52k £29,431 7.8% £34,983 5.9%
Braintree 53k £29,336 10.3% £34,411 11.5%
Huntingdonshire 74k £29,066 2.9% £32,399 4.5%
Southend-on-Sea UA 49k £28,717 4.2% £35,412 4.6%
Stevenage 29k £28,393 20.1% £31,170 7.0%
Colchester 68k £28,121 15.7% £36,704 18.8%
Basildon 56k £27,926 3.4% £33,398 6.7%
Castle Point 26k £27,865 0.0% £35,537 10.0%
Hertsmere 33k £27,837 5.5% £32,125 1.1%
Broadland 41k £27,028 9.1% £31,596 16.8%
West Suffolk 57k £27,000 4.8% £32,964 1.7%
Babergh 33k £26,911 0.8% £33,212 -6.0%
Harlow 31k £26,893 8.2% £29,180 4.9%
South Norfolk 42k £26,654 0.3% £30,801 5.4%
Fenland 38k £26,537 12.9% £29,811 13.6%
Mid Suffolk 43k £26,183 2.4% £31,515 11.1%
Great Yarmouth 31k £26,164 17.4% £27,611 9.1%
Norwich 41k £25,802 2.5% £29,927 -4.5%
Luton UA 65k £25,402 4.2% £28,032 5.4%
East Suffolk 91k £24,886 6.5% £28,665 8.0%
Ipswich 58k £24,846 4.5% £28,637 8.6%
King's Lynn and West Norfolk 53k £24,778 9.5% £28,449 6.4%
Breckland 47k £24,659 2.1% £26,526 3.0%
Peterborough UA 75k £24,421 -0.6% £29,370 3.4%
North Norfolk 25k £23,864 4.8% £25,505 1.6%
Maldon 0k £0 0.0% £0 0.0%
Tendring 41k £0 0.0% £31,871 11.6%
Uttlesford 0k £0 0.0% £0 0.0%
East Cambridgeshire 39k £0 0.0% £36,736 9.3%
Welwyn Hatfield 34k £0 0.0% £33,782 4.9%

See how Bedford compares to other areas in East

Number of businesses by industry for Bedford

You can swipe right on the table to view all the rows

Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Production Construction Motor Trades Wholesale Retail Transport & Storage Accommodation & Food Information & Communication Finance & Insurance Property Professional, Scientific & Technical Business administration Public Administration & Defence Education Health Arts & Entertainment
225 420 1,105 335 325 580 405 400 540 155 265 1,170 620 40 130 290 460