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MK42 postcode area · Bedford

The MK42 postcode district spans 9 neighbourhoods (MSOAs) in Bedford, Central Bedfordshire. Area Scores range from 16 to 73 across them. Every full MK42 postcode falls within one of the neighbourhoods below.

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.

Living here

Typical net household income£43,234a year, weighted avg of neighbourhood estimates
Recorded crime107per 1,000 residents, 12m
Median age (est.)38
Owner-occupied59%

Income: ONS model-based estimates (FYE 2023). Crime: data.police.uk, recorded incidents. Age & tenure: Census 2021. All OGL v3.0 — methodology.

House prices in the MK42 district

£307,000median home sold over the past year · +22.8% over 5 years · -1.3% over the year · 640 sales
Detached£426,250
Semi-detached£321,000
Terraced£280,000
Flat£180,000
Bedford£345,000
East of England£348,000
England£300,000
Annual median price, all homes. Small samples can be volatile.
Area Score:more deprivedless deprivedTap a neighbourhood to open it →
NeighbourhoodNat. rankArea scoreMedian price
Houghton Conquest & ClophillCentral Bedfordshire 1,78774 £435,000
Wixams & ElstowBedford 2,41165 £368,750
Wilstead & ShortstownBedford 2,75460 £348,256
Kempston West & SouthBedford 3,28852 £312,500
Kempston Central & EastBedford 3,63147 £295,250
Kempston NorthBedford 4,27638 £290,000
Castle & KingswayBedford 5,18724 £350,000
KingsbrookBedford 5,33822 £268,000
CauldwellBedford 5,70817 £248,000

People living in MK42 Census 2021

Residents80,442
Median age (est.)38
Density834per km²
No qualifications18%
Degree or above32%
No car or van21%

Age

0–14 19%15–24 11%25–44 31%45–64 25%65+ 14%

Tenure

Own outright: 26%Mortgage/shared: 33%Social rent: 19%Private rent: 21%
Own outright 26%Mortgage/shared 33%Social rent 19%Private rent 21%

Households

One person: 29%Couple, no children: 17%Couple with children: 27%Lone parent: 12%Other: 15%
One person 29%Couple, no children 17%Couple with children 27%Lone parent 12%Other 15%

Work (top occupations)

Professional 18% · Elementary 14% · Associate professional 13%

All occupation groups
Professional18%
Elementary14%
Associate professional13%
Managers & directors11%
Skilled trades10%
Caring & leisure10%
Administrative8%
Process & plant8%
Sales & customer service7%

Ethnic group

White: 73%Asian: 14%Black: 6%Mixed: 5%Other: 2%
White 73%Asian 14%Black 6%Mixed 5%Other 2%

Religion & identity

Christian 47% · No religion 34% · Muslim 7%

Born outside the UK: 25%

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.

Towns & places in MK42

Places whose neighbourhoods overlap the MK42 district.

Kempston

Nearby areas

Postcode districts around MK42.

MK40 MK41 MK43 MK45 MK44 SG17 MK46 SG18

A postcode district overlaps several neighbourhoods, so per-neighbourhood figures are shown alongside the district-wide medians — neighbouring areas can differ a lot. Neighbourhood (MSOA) boundaries contain ONS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025, Open Government Licence v3.0.