Bearsted & Downswood

Maidstone · South East · population 8,033 · 5 LSOAs

Approximate neighbourhood (MSOA) boundary. © OpenStreetMap contributors; boundary © ONS / Crown copyright.

92Area Score / 100 ?
  • #512 of 6,856 in England
  • #173 of 1,119 in South East
  • #3 of 19 in Maidstone
  • Least deprived 10% in England
Compare this area →

People living here Census 2021

Residents8,033
Median age (est.)48
Density3,200per km²
No qualifications15%
Degree or above32%
No car or van9%

Age

0–14 16%15–24 9%25–44 21%45–64 28%65+ 26%

Tenure

Own outright: 46%Mortgage/shared: 37%Social rent: 3%Private rent: 14%
Own outright 46%Mortgage/shared 37%Social rent 3%Private rent 14%

Households

One person: 26%Couple, no children: 16%Couple with children: 30%Lone parent: 7%Other: 20%
One person 26%Couple, no children 16%Couple with children 30%Lone parent 7%Other 20%

Work (top occupations)

Professional 20% · Managers & directors 17% · Associate professional 16%

All occupation groups
Professional20%
Managers & directors17%
Associate professional16%
Administrative12%
Skilled trades11%
Caring & leisure7%
Sales & customer service6%
Elementary6%
Process & plant5%

Ethnic group

White: 95%Asian: 2%Black: 1%Mixed: 2%Other: 0%
White 95%Asian 2%Black 1%Mixed 2%Other 0%

Religion & identity

Christian 55% · No religion 37% · Muslim 1%

Born outside the UK: 8%

Census 2021 (ONS), Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. Shares are of each question's own respondents (e.g. education is % of residents aged 16+). Figures date from March 2021 and change slowly between censuses.

In summary

Bearsted & Downswood is one of the least-deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in England, ranked #512 of 6,856 neighbourhoods nationally, and #3 of 19 in Maidstone. It is highly uneven across the seven themes — strong on Income (92) but weak on Housing & access (31). Typical homes here, about £425,000 over the past year, have climbed steeply — up 26% in five years (from 142 sales), 16% above the wider Maidstone median of £365,000. Typical household take-home income is around £46,207 a year, in the top third of England. Recorded crime ran at 29 incidents per 1,000 residents over the past year, well below the England rate of 83.

Themed scores ?

Each 0–100, higher = less deprived on that theme. National rank shown.

Income 92 · #512
Employment 89 · #725
Education 83 · #1,191
Health 88 · #841
Crime 88 · #786
Housing & access 31 · #4,728
Living environment 91 · #608

House prices ?

£425,000median (12m) · +9.0% yr · n=142
TypeMedian (12m)Sales1yr5yr
All homes£425,000142+9.0%+25.9%
Detached£707,50050+19.9%+50.5%
Semi-detached£400,00061+8.1%+21.2%
Terraced£322,50024-2.3%+31.1%
Flat£175,0007+28.2%
This area£425,000
Maidstone£365,000
South East£385,000
England£300,000
Annual median price, all homes. Small samples can be volatile.

Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Household income

Net household income (a year)£46,207±£6,420 · #1,797 of 6,856
After housing costs (equivalised)£40,615
Price-to-income ?9.2×typical home ÷ net income — more stretched than the England figure of 7.5×

Model-based ONS estimates (FYE 2023) with 95% confidence intervals — a guide to the typical household, not a measurement. How income estimates work →

Affordability-adjusted Score ?

60Affordability-adjusted Score / 100
Best-value areas in England →

Recorded crime ?

29 crimes per 1,000 residents · 12 months · 235 offences
Maidstone74
South East71
England83

Rank #362 of 6,427 areas with published data (1 = lowest recorded rate).

Category (12 months)Recorded
Violence & sexual offences132
Theft18
Burglary8
Vehicle crime20
Criminal damage & arson28
Public order & weapons14
Drugs4
Robbery1
Other10

Anti-social behaviour, recorded separately: 81 incidents.

Recorded incidents, not convictions. Crimes are counted where they happen while residents are counted where they live, so busy town-centre, retail and nightlife areas show high per-resident rates because visitors bring incidents with them. Street-level crime data © Crown copyright, data.police.uk, OGL v3.0. More on crime figures →

Official sources

Nearby areas

The closest neighbourhoods on the map, whichever authority they fall in.

Other areas in Maidstone

Similar areas across England

Neighbourhoods with the closest Area Score elsewhere in the country, for comparison.