Socio-economic statistics for Brickhill, Bedfordshire

Socio-economic statistics for Brickhill, Bedfordshire

We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics for Brickhill in Bedford from UK government sources such as the 2021 Census and the Index of Multiple Deprivation. They should give you a broad snapshot of the area and the surrounding locations. Are the residents of Brickhill older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Brickhill and Bedford? Is Brickhill an unemployment hotspot? This page should provide you with the answers.

Brickhill Health Statistics

Brickhill has a lower proportion of residents (very_good_pc-$ward_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
Area VG G F B VB
Brickhill 45.88% 36.59% 13.12% 3.71% 0.7%
Bedford 48.82% 34.97% 11.85% 3.43% 0.94%
East 48.28% 34.64% 12.5% 3.58% 1%
England 48.49% 33.71% 12.65% 3.98% 1.17%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

How has the health of residents in Bedford changed since 2011?

Bedford residents who describe their health as either good or very good has increased by 0.91% between the 2011 and 2021 census.
Year VG G F B VB
2011 46.9% 35.98% 12.58% 3.55% 0.98%
2021 48.82% 34.97% 11.85% 3.43% 0.94%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

Brickhill Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Brickhill.
Age Band Proportion
4 & under
5 - 9 years
10 - 15 years
16 - 19 years
20 - 24 years
25 - 34 years
35 - 49 years
50 - 64 years
65 - 74 years
75 - 84 years
85 years & over

Brickhill Unemployment Statistics

Since the introduction of Universal Credit, The Department for Work & Pensions have not issued any statistics (in our view) that can be used to ascertain the levels of unemployment or under employment in the UK, just meaningless geographic counts. However, the Office of National Statistics does publish claimant counts of people receiving out of work benefits, be that legacy Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit as a proportion of people over 16. These figures are usually updated once a month and are for Local Authority Districts and Unitary Authority Districts. So below are the figures of Bedford.
Area Unemployed Yearly Change
Bedford 3.9% -0.3%
East of England 3% -0.3%
England 3.8% -0.3%
UK 3.7% -0.3%
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Last Retrieved: March 2023
The 2021 census had data on people who were economically active (seeking work) yet unemployed on Census day (Sunday March 21st 2021). These statitics do cover Brickhill on a ward level. However, it has to be noted that the Census day was during the height of the Covid19 pandemic and therefore are not reflective of normal levels of unemployment. For example, between March 2020 and June 2020 people claiming Universal Credit doubled in most areas of the United Kingdom and then steadily declined up to the day of the Census and beyond. This data also contains the proportion of people in part-time work (working between 1-35 hours per week), which maybe an indicator of under employment in Brickhill.
Economic Status Proportion
In Employment 53.63%
In Part-Time Work 27.25%
Unemployed 4.96%
72.75% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Brickhill

How many residents own or rent their home in Brickhill and Bedford

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Brickhill either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 74.94 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 25.06 of Brickhill residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
Area Owned Rented
Brickhill 74.94% 25.06%
Bedford 62.66% 37.34%
East 65.23% 34.77%
England 61.31% 38.69%

Brickhill has a significantly higher level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically wealthy area.

Brickhill compared to other wards in Bedford

# Ward Owned Rented
1 Bromham and Biddenham 83.76% 16.25%
2 Oakley (Bedford) 81.55% 18.45%
3 Putnoe 81.45% 18.55%
4 Wyboston 78.87% 21.13%
5 Sharnbrook 78.19% 21.81%
6 Kempston South 77.81% 22.19%
7 Riseley 76.73% 23.27%
8 Great Barford 76.08% 23.92%
9 Wilshamstead 75.15% 24.85%
10 Clapham 75.13% 24.87%
11 Brickhill 74.94% 25.06%
12 Wootton (Bedford) 74.42% 25.58%
13 Harrold 71.62% 28.38%
14 Kempston Rural 70.87% 29.13%
15 Newnham (Bedford) 70.4% 29.6%
16 Elstow and Stewartby 67.67% 32.33%
17 Eastcotts 66.99% 33.01%
18 Kempston Central and East 61.24% 38.76%
19 Kempston West 59.25% 40.75%
20 De Parys 57.9% 42.1%
21 Kempston North 55.11% 44.89%
22 Goldington 51.56% 48.44%
23 Queens Park (Bedford) 50.95% 49.05%
24 Kingsbrook 46.77% 53.23%
25 Cauldwell 41.95% 58.05%
26 Harpur 38.31% 61.69%
27 Castle (Bedford) 29.51% 70.49%
Brickhill is ranked 11 out of 27 wards in Bedford for the percentage of home owners.

Brickhill & Bedford Immigration Statistics

We have analysed the Census 2021 raw data on country of birth and compiled immigration statistics as percentages of the population. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. Below are the figures for Brickhill in the Bedford local area district.

Area Born in UK Born outside UK
Brickhill 83.08% 16.92%
Bedford 78.6% 21.4%
East 85.09% 14.91%
England 82.65% 17.35%

Brickhill compared to other wards in Bedford

# Ward Born in UK Born outside UK
1 Cauldwell 56.9% 43.1%
2 Queens Park 57.1% 42.9%
3 Castle 62.03% 37.97%
4 Kingsbrook 68.23% 31.77%
5 Harpur 68.41% 31.59%
6 Kempston Central and East 72.88% 27.12%
7 Kempston South 76.05% 23.95%
8 De Parys 77.62% 22.38%
9 Goldington 78.9% 21.1%
10 Kempston North 79.59% 20.41%
11 Kempston West 80.38% 19.62%
12 Eastcotts 80.83% 19.17%
13 Newnham 81.68% 18.32%
14 Brickhill 83.08% 16.92%
15 Kempston Rural 83.85% 16.15%
16 Putnoe 84.1% 15.9%
17 Elstow and Stewartby 85.07% 14.93%
18 Bromham and Biddenham 87.54% 12.46%
19 Wilshamstead 88.31% 11.69%
20 Clapham 88.45% 11.55%
21 Great Barford 89.57% 10.43%
22 Wootton 89.88% 10.12%
23 Sharnbrook 91.94% 8.06%
24 Oakley 92.57% 7.43%
25 Harrold 93% 7%
26 Wyboston 93.76% 6.24%
27 Riseley 94.51% 5.49%
'; Brickhill is ranked 14 out of 27 wards in Bedford for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

Brickhill Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Brickhill residents have in terms of formal qualifications as a percentage. The UK government breaks qualifications down into 7 levels. A detailed explanation of these levels can be found here. However, the Census groups these into just 4 \'levels\'. Here are some examples of the qualifications each census level represents when not stated;

  • Level 1 - GCSE grades D, E, F, or G & below
  • Level 2 - GCSE A*, A, B, C or O Level grades A, B or C
  • Level 3 - A or AS qualification at any grade
  • Level 4 - HNC, Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree or Phd

In this first table we have compared Brickhill to the national average for England.
Level Brickhill England
No Qualifications 15.14% 18.08%
Level 1 10.04% 9.69%
Level 2 13.54% 13.32%
Apprenticeship 6.49% 5.32%
Level 3 16.26% 16.92%
Level 4 35.66% 33.92%

What are the occupations of the residents of Brickhill?

The largest employment sector in Brickhill is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
Sector Proportion
Professional Occupations 23.29%
Associate Professional & Technical 13.36%
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials 12.87%
Skilled Trades 9.99%
Elementary Occupations 9.69%
Administrative & Secretarial 9.44%
Caring, leisure & Other Services 8.79%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives 6.1%

What is the population of Brickhill and Bedford?

The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Bedford including Brickhill. These population ONS figures are estimated are dated Mid 2020.

Ward Population
Brickhill 7969
Bromham and Biddenham 6963
Castle 8526
Cauldwell 11189
Clapham 4555
De Parys 6817
Eastcotts 4663
Elstow and Stewartby 4885
Goldington 9687
Great Barford 8283
Harpur 8718
Harrold 4158
Kempston Central and East 6981
Kempston North 3609
Kempston Rural 6763
Kempston South 3900
Kempston West 6485
Kingsbrook 9764
Newnham 7769
Oakley 3709
Putnoe 6923
Queens Park 9502
Riseley 3358
Sharnbrook 3809
Wilshamstead 5842
Wootton 6270
Wyboston 3590
Bedford Total 174687



Last updated: 20/02/2024, Additional Sources: Office for National Statistics & Department for Work & Pensions.

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