United Kingdom · East of England · Local Authority
Bedford
Unitary authority · East of England, England · population ~175k · 74 state-funded schools
Moderate housing costs meet sluggish wage growth in Bedford. While the median house price of £345,000 sits exactly at the regional median, it remains a steep 8.5 times annual earnings. Rent consumes 34.4% of gross pay, a significant commitment for those earning £779.80 weekly, which falls below the regional median. Beyond the financial constraints, the area faces challenges with public services and safety; the deprivation score is higher than 52% of England authorities, and recorded crime at 77.7 per 1,000 residents exceeds the regional median. With only 88.5% of pupils in Good or Outstanding schools, this location is best suited for those who prioritise proximity to the capital over local service quality or high-earning potential.
Written from the indicators on this page, 2026-10 data.
The signature
How Bedford ranks across 361 UK Local Authorities
Pay
£40,550/yr
Mid
Better than 60% of UK LAs
House price
£345,000
Expensive
Worse than 67% of UK LAs
Rent
£1,163/mo
Expensive
Worse than 63% of UK LAs
Council tax
£2,472/yr
Expensive
Worse than 62% of UK LAs
Crime
77.7/1k
Mid
Worse than 58% of UK LAs
Deprivation
18.9
Mid
Around UK average
Schools
95.8%
Strong
Better than 74% of UK LAs
Colour shows quintile position against 361 UK Local Authorities. Green is the best position for someone moving here; red is the worst. Direction is set per indicator — higher pay, lower rent, less crime, less deprivation are all green.
Schools
87 state-funded schools · Ofsted Sep 2026
69 of 72 (95.8%) rated Good or Outstanding under Ofsted's legacy framework. 15 schools are on the post-2024 report-card framework and don't roll up into the legacy total. How we count →
The map
74 schools · pins coloured by Ofsted grade
Grades, phase and pupil numbers for all 74 schools, sortable and filterable.
Schools in Bedford →Places with similar signatures
Nearest by quintile position across pay · housing · tax · crime · IMD · schools
What we don't know yet
Commute times · GP appointment availability · broadband speeds · air quality at LA level · green-space proximity · public transport coverage. These matter for a relocation decision. We'll add them when the source data is reliable nationally and consistent across LA boundaries.