MK42 postcode area
The MK42 postcode district spans 9 neighbourhoods (MSOAs) in Bedford, Central Bedfordshire. Area Scores range from 16 to 73 across them.
In summary
There is a sharp split within the MK42 district: Houghton Conquest & Clophill scores 74 out of 100 (#1,787 of 6,856 nationally) while Cauldwell sits at 17 — neighbours on the map, 57 points apart on the index. It mixes both ends of the national picture — 1 neighbourhood in the least-deprived third of England and 3 in the most-deprived third. House prices stretch as far as the scores do: medians run from £248,000 in Cauldwell to £435,000 in Houghton Conquest & Clophill — a 1.8× gap within the MK42 district. Note that the district straddles 2 local authorities — Bedford and Central Bedfordshire — so its neighbourhoods answer to different councils.
| Neighbourhood | Nat. rank | Area score | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Conquest & ClophillCentral Bedfordshire | 1,787 | 74 | £435,000 |
| Wixams & ElstowBedford | 2,411 | 65 | £368,750 |
| Wilstead & ShortstownBedford | 2,754 | 60 | £348,256 |
| Kempston West & SouthBedford | 3,288 | 52 | £312,500 |
| Kempston Central & EastBedford | 3,631 | 47 | £295,250 |
| Kempston NorthBedford | 4,276 | 38 | £290,000 |
| Castle & KingswayBedford | 5,187 | 24 | £350,000 |
| KingsbrookBedford | 5,338 | 22 | £268,000 |
| CauldwellBedford | 5,708 | 17 | £248,000 |
Nearby areas
Postcode districts around MK42.
A postcode district overlaps several neighbourhoods, so figures are shown per neighbourhood rather than as a single postcode average — neighbouring areas can differ a lot. Neighbourhood (MSOA) boundaries contain ONS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025, Open Government Licence v3.0.