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Discover LU5Central Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire covers all 833 LU5 postcodes. Figures are for the council area, not for LU5 alone

Wards in LU5

Houghton Regis East 25% of LU5
Houghton Regis West 24% of LU5
Toddington 21% of LU5
Dunstable East 20% of LU5
Dunstable South 7% of LU5
Dunstable North 1% of LU5

Figures for

Council area

Map of Central Bedfordshire

The map needs JavaScript. The figures below do not.

This map outlines Central Bedfordshire and its wards. Use Full screen for the layers: neighbourhood deprivation (IoD2025, England only) and nearby schools. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

People

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315,877

Resident population · 2024

4.7%

Population change · 2022 to 2024

2.1 percentage points higher than England

East of England 2.7%England 2.6%

How do we know this?

Figure	Source	Period	Geography	Method and limits
Resident population Estimated usual resident population (mid-year estimate).	Office for National Statistics Lower layer Super Output Area mid-year population estimates by single year of age (mid-2022 revised, mid-2023, mid-2024) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0	2024	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality
Population change 2022 to 2024 (%) Percentage change between mid-2022 (revised) and mid-2024.	Office for National Statistics Lower layer Super Output Area mid-year population estimates by single year of age (mid-2022 revised, mid-2023, mid-2024) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0	2022-2024	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality

Method: Mid-year population estimates

ONS mid-year estimates are modelled from the 2021 Census, births, deaths and migration. Mid-2022 is the revised series. Ages are grouped: 0-15 means ages 0 to 15 inclusive, working age 16-64, 65 and over. Change 2022-2024 compares the revised mid-2022 with mid-2024 estimates for the same boundaries. Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-year estimates for council areas published by ONS from National Records of Scotland and NISRA (via Nomis), for 2022 to 2024, to match the England and Wales years. No small-area (ward or neighbourhood) estimates are held for them.

Homes

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£365,000

Median sale price · Year to Oct 2025

22% higher than England

East of England £350,000England £300,000

-1.4%

Change in median sale price · Year to Oct 2025 vs a year earlier

3 percentage points lower than England

East of England 2.9%England 1.7%

How do we know this?

Figure	Source	Period	Geography	Method and limits
Median sale price Median price of homes sold in the 12-month period (needs 10+ sales).	HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (standard price paid, category A) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Crown copyright)	Year to Oct 2025	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality
Change in median sale price over a year Percentage change in the median between consecutive 12-month windows. Not mix-adjusted.	HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (standard price paid, category A) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Crown copyright)	Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality

Method: Price paid medians

Sales are mapped from postcode to each geography exactly. The headline is the median sale price over the latest 12 COMPLETE months (a month is complete when national standard sales are at least 85% of the average of the 24 months before it; currently November 2024 to October 2025) and the 12 months before that. Months after that (Nov 2025 onward in the April 2026 extract) are still being registered and are excluded. Yearly medians use complete calendar years 2016-2024. Medians need at least 10 sales; sales counts are published for any area. Medians describe homes that sold, not all homes, and are not adjusted for the mix of property types, so a change in the median can reflect what was sold. Registration lags completion, so recent months can be revised up. Only standard price paid sales (category A) are included.

Education

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136

Schools in the area · Oct 2026

88.5%

Graded schools rated Good or Outstanding · 31 Aug 2026

2.7 percentage points lower than England

East of England 91.1%England 91.2%

How do we know this?

Figure	Source	Period	Geography	Method and limits
Schools in the area Open schools (excluding children's centres) with a postcode in the area.	Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data Establishment records, pupil numbers, FSM, SEN, absence; Ofsted outcomes Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)	Oct 2026	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality
Graded schools rated Good or Outstanding Share of schools with a 1-4 Ofsted grade that are Outstanding or Good.	Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data Establishment records, pupil numbers, FSM, SEN, absence; Ofsted outcomes Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)	as at 31 Aug 2026	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality

Method: Schools in an area

Each open school is located by the postcode of its GIAS record, so it belongs to exactly one postcode district, ward, built-up area, constituency, council and so on. A school is counted where it is, not where its pupils live; pupils often cross boundaries. Children's centres are excluded. Phase and type are the GIAS labels grouped for display.

Method: Pupil-weighted school measures

FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.

Economy

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£869

Median weekly pay, full-time employees living here · 2025

13% higher than England

East of England £805England £770

115,000

Jobs located in the area · 2024

Fewer jobs per head than England here 0.59

East of England 0.74England 0.77

How do we know this?

Figure	Source	Period	Geography	Method and limits
Median gross weekly pay, full-time employees living here Median gross weekly pay of full-time employees who live in the area (ASHE, place of residence). Cash terms, not inflation adjusted.	Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), via Nomis: tables 7 (place of work) and 8 (place of residence) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0	2025	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	direct, high quality Coefficient of variation 3.0%.
Jobs located in the area (BRES employment) Employees plus working owners at workplaces in the area (BRES). Rounded; place of work, not residence.	Office for National Statistics Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), open access, via Nomis Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0	2024	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	direct, high quality Rounded by ONS. Compared through jobs per working-age resident (2024): East of England 0.74, England 0.77, here 0.59.

Method: Earnings from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

ASHE is a 1% sample of employee jobs from HMRC PAYE records, with a reference week in April. We hold the median gross pay of full-time employees, by place of residence (where the employee lives) and by place of work (where the job is), for the latest survey year and the years back to 2015. Median weekly pay is gross pay before tax for the pay period that includes the reference date; annual pay is gross annual pay for the year to April. Pay is in cash terms: it is not adjusted for inflation, so changes over time include price rises. Survey estimates have a margin of error that grows as areas get smaller; each value carries its coefficient of variation and values with a CV above 10% are marked low quality. Estimates ONS judges too unreliable (CV above about 40%) are not published and appear here as absent. Self-employed people are not covered. Residence-based figures describe people who live in the area wherever they work; workplace-based figures describe jobs located in the area wherever the employee lives. The two can differ a lot in commuter areas and city centres.

Method: Employment by industry (BRES)

BRES is the official source of employee and employment estimates by detailed industry and area. Employment is employees plus working owners, counted at the place of work and in the survey week in September. It covers all sectors except small farm agriculture, and the self-employed who are not registered for PAYE or VAT. ONS rounds BRES employment and suppresses small cells, so industry sums may not add to the total. Jobs here are not residents: people may live elsewhere. Part-time and full-time jobs count equally (they are not full-time equivalents).

Community

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48.4 per 1,000

Recorded crime per 1,000 residents · Year to Apr 2026

40% lower than England

East of England 67.9 per 1,000England 80.7 per 1,000

790

Charities registered here · Oct 2026

Fewer than England here 2.5 per 1,000

East of England 2.9 per 1,000England 2.7 per 1,000

How do we know this?

Figure	Source	Period	Geography	Method and limits
Recorded crime (excluding anti-social behaviour) per 1,000 residents police.uk crime categories except anti-social behaviour, 12 months, per 1,000 residents.	Police forces of England and Wales via data.police.uk Street-level crime (12 monthly files) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0	Year to Apr 2026	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, high quality 12 months to April 2026. 4.1% of Bedfordshire Police records have no location and are excluded.
Charities based in the area Registered charities whose registered address is in the area.	Charity Commission for England and Wales; OSCR (Scotland); Charity Commission for Northern Ireland Registers of charities (registered address, latest income, charitable purposes) Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (Charity Commission, OSCR and CCNI terms apply: not the register itself, no direct marketing)	Oct 2026	Central Bedfordshire (Council area)	aggregated, medium quality By registered address. Counts charities by their registered contact address (often a trustee or a head office), not where they work. England and Wales register only. Compared through charities based per 1,000 residents (Oct 2026): East of England 2.9 per 1,000, England 2.7 per 1,000, here 2.5 per 1,000.

Method: Recorded street crime per 1,000 residents

Counts of crimes in police.uk street-level data for May 2025 to April 2026, matched to 2021 LSOAs by the LSOA code on each record, then split to output areas by population and rolled up (see the area apportioning method). Rates are crimes per 1,000 residents (mid-2024 population) and describe where crimes were recorded, not who committed them or where victims live. High rates occur where many non-residents pass through (town centres, transport hubs, nightlife), so they are not a measure of risk to residents. Crimes with no location (blank LSOA) are excluded; the excluded share by force is in the notes. Greater Manchester Police data are absent from the extract, so those areas have no value. Categories follow police.uk. Anti-social behaviour is incident data, not crime proper, and is included only in the "all categories" rate. 12 months only: no trend is possible and seasonal effects are included.

Method: Charities in an area

A charity is placed by the postcode of its registered/contact address (or the nearest postcode to its geocoded address; some are placed by the nearest postcode to a geocoded address), so counts show where charities are based, not where they work: a national charity with a London address is counted in London. Income is the latest annual income on the register, summed; it is dominated by a few very large charities. "Declaring the area" counts charities that name the local authority (or its county) as an area of operation on the register; it does not mean services are delivered everywhere in that area. Registered charities only; unregistered community groups, small charities below the registration threshold and removed charities are not counted.

The future

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How much of the work residents do generally available AI tools could speed up

47%21%30.8%

A small part 47%
Some 21%
Much 30.8%
Not yet assessed 1.3%

CareerMash staging data (11 Oct 2026), approved by the owner for this preview, subject to change; not yet independently validated

What stands out about this place?

Findings where this place differs most from its surroundings, with the evidence behind each one. A difference is not a verdict: it is a prompt to look closer.

Educationhigh confidence

Lower than similar council areas: Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at age 11

Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at age 11 is 49.9% in Central Bedfordshire (2024/25), compared with 67.9% across five council areas with a similar profile (Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Trafford, South Gloucestershire); 18.0 percentage points lower. It lies outside the range of all five (63.3% to 72.4%).

49.9% here67.9% five similar council areas: Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Trafford, South Gloucestershire

How do we know this?

Source

Department for Education (compare school performance): Key stage 2 and key stage 4 school-level performance tables extract (Open Government Licence v3.0)

Period

2024/25

Geography

Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Trafford, South Gloucestershire

Method

Pupil-weighted school measures. FSM, SEN and absence percentages are school-level figures averaged with school roll (January 2026 census) as the weight; KS2 and KS4 measures are averaged with the number of eligible pupils (KS2) or the KS4 cohort as the weight. This equals the share of pupils in the area's schools, not of pupils living in the area. The England value uses the same method on the same files and is the comparator. Suppressed school values are skipped, so coverage differs by measure (the number of schools used is in the notes). Ofsted outcomes are the latest overall grade on record at 31 August 2026; schools inspected under the new report-card framework may carry no single grade.

Limitations

Pupil-weighted mean of school percentages (eligible pupils). From 54 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.

See Education

Neighbourhoodshigh confidence

Lower than England: Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall)

Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall) is 2.3% in Central Bedfordshire (2025), compared with 20.3% in England (18.0 percentage points lower; n = 315,877).

2.3% here20.3% England

How do we know this?

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (LSOA 2021 ranks and deciles) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
Period: 2025
Geography: Council area, compared with England
Method: Summarising deprivation for an area. The Indices of Deprivation rank every LSOA in England; decile 1 contains the most deprived 10 per cent of LSOAs nationally. Ranks and deciles are ordinal, so they are never averaged. An area is described by (1) how many of its LSOAs fall in each national decile, (2) how many of its residents live in LSOAs of each decile (mid-2024 population apportioned to output areas, see the area apportioning method), (3) the share of residents in the most deprived 10 and 20 per cent of LSOAs nationally, and (4) the median decile of residents. IoD is a relative measure of small areas, not of individuals: most people in a deprived LSOA are not deprived and many deprived people live elsewhere. England only. Where an area straddles the England-Wales border the figures cover the English part only and are not published unless 90 per cent of residents are covered.
Limitations: none recorded

See Living here

Homeshigh confidence

Higher than England: Households that own their home

Households that own their home is 71.2% in Central Bedfordshire (2021), compared with 61.3% in England (9.9 percentage points higher; n = 120,711).

71.2% here61.3% England

How do we know this?

Source

Office for National Statistics (Census 2021): Census 2021 housing and household summary by Output Area (tenure, accommodation type, cars, overcrowding, household size, general health) (Open Government Licence v3.0)

Period

2021

Geography

Council area, compared with England

Method

Census 2021 housing summary. Percentages by output area are converted back to counts using the OA household total (or usual residents for health) and rolled up as in the area apportioning method, so area figures are household-weighted. England only: Welsh OAs are not in the loaded table, so Welsh and Scottish places have no value. Labelled 2021.

Limitations

Census 2021 is a snapshot taken in March 2021 and may have changed since.

See Living here

Homeshigh confidence

Lower than East of England: Change in the typical home sale price over a year

Change in the typical home sale price over a year is -1.4% in Central Bedfordshire (Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024), compared with 2.9% in East of England (4.3 percentage points lower).

-1.4% here2.9% East of England

How do we know this?

Source

HM Land Registry: Price Paid Data (standard price paid, category A) (Open Government Licence v3.0 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Crown copyright))

Period

Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024

Geography

Council area, compared with East of England

Method

Price paid medians. Sales are mapped from postcode to each geography exactly. The headline is the median sale price over the latest 12 COMPLETE months (a month is complete when national standard sales are at least 85% of the average of the 24 months before it; currently November 2024 to October 2025) and the 12 months before that. Months after that (Nov 2025 onward in the April 2026 extract) are still being registered and are excluded. Yearly medians use complete calendar years 2016-2024. Medians need at least 10 sales; sales counts are published for any area. Medians describe homes that sold, not all homes, and are not adjusted for the mix of property types, so a change in the median can reflect what was sold. Registration lags completion, so recent months can be revised up. Only standard price paid sales (category A) are included.

Limitations

Covers the 12-month window Year to Oct 2025 vs Year to Oct 2024 only.

See Living here

Educationhigh confidence

Lower than similar council areas: Pupils eligible for free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals is 15.0% in Central Bedfordshire (2025/26), compared with 18.4% across five council areas with a similar profile (Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Trafford, South Gloucestershire); 3.4 percentage points lower. It lies outside the range of all five (16.8% to 20.1%).

15% here18.4% five similar council areas: Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Trafford, South Gloucestershire

How do we know this?

Source

Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data: Establishment records, pupil numbers, FSM, SEN, absence; Ofsted outcomes (Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool))

Period

2025/26

Geography

Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Bexley, Harrow, Havering, Trafford, South Gloucestershire

Method

Limitations

Share of pupils at schools in the area; pupil-weighted. From 135 schools. Schools are counted where they are located, not where pupils live.
Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.

See Education

Economymedium confidence

Higher than England: Change in dissolutions on the prior 12 months

Change in dissolutions on the prior 12 months is 13.7% in Central Bedfordshire (Year to 30 Oct 2026 vs Year to 30 Oct 2025), compared with -3.2% in England (16.9 percentage points higher).

13.7% here-3.2% England

How do we know this?

Source

Companies House: Dissolved companies: advanced search API (one query per dissolution day since 2010), topped up from the live streaming feed; incorporations from the register snapshot of 2 Oct 2026 (to confirm (Companies House API terms; the register data is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0))

Period

Year to 30 Oct 2026 vs Year to 30 Oct 2025

Geography

Council area, compared with England

Method

Company dissolutions and net formation. Dissolutions are companies Companies House records as dissolved, counted on the dissolution date and located by the postcode of the registered office held at dissolution. That address is often an accountant, formation agent or liquidator, not where the company traded, so it says where a company was registered, not where a business closed. Every dissolution day since 1 January 2010 was fetched one day at a time and checked: the number of companies stored equals the number the register reports for that day. The latest window is the 365 days ending the latest complete day; the prior window is the 365 days before it; annual figures are complete calendar years. The route to dissolution (strike-off, end of liquidation, merger) is not recorded, so dissolutions are not split. Net formation = companies incorporated in the period (all that were ever registered in it, whether or not they have since been dissolved) minus companies dissolved in the period. The two groups are different companies and are located by different addresses, current for companies still on the register and last held for dissolved ones. Net formation compares registered offices, not jobs, trading or business closures.

Limitations

Registered offices are not operating locations; many companies are registered at an agent or accountant address.
Registered-office events are not new local employers, closures or job changes.

See Economy

What's changing

See the full timeline

Recent dated records tied to this place. They are events, not judgements.

30 Oct 2026
Company incorporated New company registered: Curated Collectibles LtdRegistered office here, which is not necessarily where it operates
30 Oct 2026
Company incorporated New company registered: Nexus Pegasus Digital LtdRegistered office here, which is not necessarily where it operates
30 Oct 2026
Company incorporated New company registered: Longacre Cambs LtdRegistered office here, which is not necessarily where it operates
30 Oct 2026
Company incorporated New company registered: H&M Dunstable LimitedRegistered office here, which is not necessarily where it operates

Ask a question about Central Bedfordshire

Answers are worked out from the figures on these pages, not written by a chatbot, and each one lists its evidence.

Sources used on this page

Charity Commission for England and Wales; OSCR (Scotland); Charity Commission for Northern Ireland: Registers of charities (registered address, latest income, charitable purposes)Period: CCEW extract 4 Oct 2026; OSCR 7 Oct 2026 · Published: 4 Oct 2026 · Coverage: United Kingdom (registered charities) · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (Charity Commission, OSCR and CCNI terms apply: not the register itself, no direct marketing)
Police forces of England and Wales via data.police.uk: Street-level crime (12 monthly files)Period: May 2025 to Apr 2026 · Published: Jun 2026 · Coverage: England and Wales except Greater Manchester Police (no data in the loaded files); Northern Ireland records have no LSOA · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (LSOA 2021 ranks and deciles)Period: IoD2025 (indicator data years vary by domain) · Published: 2025 · Coverage: England: 33,755 neighbourhoods (LSOAs) · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Department for Education (Get Information about Schools) via WhatSchool data: Establishment records, pupil numbers, FSM, SEN, absence; Ofsted outcomesPeriod: GIAS 7 Oct 2026; pupils January 2026 census; FSM/SEN 2025/26; absence 2024/25; Ofsted as at 31 Aug 2026 · Published: Oct 2026 · Coverage: England (GIAS); Wales has establishment records without results · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (DfE Get Information about Schools and Ofsted data, via WhatSchool)
Department for Education (compare school performance): Key stage 2 and key stage 4 school-level performance tables extractPeriod: 2024/25 (revised; year inferred from the extract) · Published: Mar 2026 (fetched) · Coverage: England state-funded schools with published results · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
HM Land Registry: Price Paid Data (standard price paid, category A)Period: sales to 31 Mar 2026 · Published: Apr 2026 · Coverage: England and Wales · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Crown copyright)
Office for National Statistics (Census 2021): Census 2021 housing and household summary by Output Area (tenure, accommodation type, cars, overcrowding, household size, general health)Period: Census Day 21 March 2021 · Published: 2022-2023 · Coverage: England: output areas, summed to wards, constituencies and councils (Wales is in the Nomis census source) · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Office for National Statistics: Lower layer Super Output Area mid-year population estimates by single year of age (mid-2022 revised, mid-2023, mid-2024)Period: mid-2022 (revised), mid-2023, mid-2024 · Published: 7 Nov 2025 · Coverage: England and Wales (LSOA 2021) · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Office for National Statistics: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), open access, via NomisPeriod: employment in September 2024 (2015 to 2024 held) · Published: Oct 2025 · Coverage: Great Britain: local authorities, parliamentary constituencies (2024), MSOAs (England and Wales), countries · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), via Nomis: tables 7 (place of work) and 8 (place of residence)Period: survey year 2025 (April 2025 reference week); 2015 to 2025 held · Published: Oct 2025 · Coverage: Great Britain local authorities (April 2023 boundaries), regions and countries; Northern Ireland not held · Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0
Companies House: Companies House streaming API (live), combined with the basic company data snapshot of 2 Oct 2026Period: incorporations to 30 Oct 2026 (stream timepoint 121086730, newest event published 31 Oct 2026T04:00:02) · Published: 31 Oct 2026 · Coverage: UK companies (registered office postcode)
Companies House: Dissolved companies: advanced search API (one query per dissolution day since 2010), topped up from the live streaming feed; incorporations from the register snapshot of 2 Oct 2026Period: dissolutions 31 Oct 2024 to 30 Oct 2026; annual series 2010 to 2025 · Published: 31 Oct 2026 · Coverage: UK companies (registered office postcode)

Registered offices are not operating locations. Ranks and deciles are never averaged. Census 2021 figures are labelled 2021.