Is Great Ouse in Bedford a nice place to live or is it a bit rough? We have collated a series of socio-economic statistics and demographics 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 Great Ouse older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Great Ouse and Bedford? What is the claimant count in Great Ouse and how many residents are unemployed? This page should provide you with the answers.Great Ouse 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% |
| Economic Status | Proportion |
|---|
| In Employment | 58.67% |
| In Part-Time Work | 25.89% |
| Unemployed | 2.97% |
Great Ouse Health Statistics
Bromham and Biddenham has more residents (very_good_pc-$country_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.| Area | VG | G | F | B | VB |
|---|
| Bromham and Biddenham | 53.11% | 34.03% | 10.11% | 2.16% | 0.59% |
| 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
How many residents own or rent their home in Great Ouse and Bedford
We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Great Ouse either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 83.76 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 16.25 of Great Ouse residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord. | Area | Owned | Rented |
|---|
| Bromham and Biddenham | 83.76% | 16.25% |
| Bedford | 62.66% | 37.34% |
| East | 65.23% | 34.77% |
| England | 61.31% | 38.69% |
Great Ouse has a significantly higher level of home ownership than the national average. This is indicative or an economically wealthy area.
Great Ouse 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% |
|---|
Great Ouse is ranked 1 out of 27 wards in Bedford for the percentage of home owners.Great Ouse Age Distribution Statistics
We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Bromham and Biddenham.| 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 | |
Great Ouse & 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 Great Ouse in the Bedford local area district.
Great Ouse has a lower rate of immigrants than Bedford, the East of England region and England as a whole.
| Area | Born in UK | Born outside UK |
|---|
| Bromham and Biddenham | 87.54% | 12.46% |
|---|
| Bedford | 78.6% | 21.4% |
|---|
| East | 85.09% | 14.91% |
|---|
| England | 82.65% | 17.35% |
|---|
Great Ouse 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% |
|---|
';Great Ouse is ranked 18 out of 27 wards in Bedford for the number of residents born outside of the UK.Great Ouse Education Statistics
We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Great Ouse 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 Great Ouse to the national average for England.
| Level | Bromham and Biddenham | England |
|---|
| No Qualifications | 10.16% | 18.08% |
| Level 1 | 8.1% | 9.69% |
| Level 2 | 13.35% | 13.32% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.72% | 5.32% |
| Level 3 | 15.86% | 16.92% |
| Level 4 | 46.08% | 33.92% |
What are the occupations of the residents of Great Ouse?
The largest employment sector in Great Ouse is Professional Occupations. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.| Sector | Proportion |
|---|
| Professional Occupations | 27.67% |
| Managers, Directors & Senior Officials | 19.62% |
| Associate Professional & Technical | 15.69% |
| Administrative & Secretarial | 10.21% |
| Skilled Trades | 7.44% |
| Caring, leisure & Other Services | 5.76% |
| Elementary Occupations | 4.83% |
| Process Plant & Machine Operatives | 3.29% |
What is the population of Great Ouse and Bedford?
The table below contains the populations figures for each ward in Bedford including Great Ouse. 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.
