Socio-economic statistics for Thurleigh, Bedfordshire

Socio-economic statistics for Thurleigh, Bedfordshire

Is Thurleigh 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 Thurleigh older than the national average or younger? What is the population of Thurleigh and Bedford? What is the claimant count in Thurleigh and how many residents are unemployed? This page should provide you with the answers.

Thurleigh Age Distribution Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 Census and the calculated the proportion of age groups in Riseley.
Age BandProportion
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

Thurleigh 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.
AreaUnemployedYearly Change
Bedford3.9%-0.3%
East of England3%-0.3%
England3.8%-0.3%
UK3.7%-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 Thurleigh 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 Thurleigh.
Economic StatusProportion
In Employment57.98%
In Part-Time Work29.75%
Unemployed2.67%
70.25% of the people in work, are in full-time employment in Thurleigh

Thurleigh Education Statistics

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census to found of the level of education Thurleigh 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 Thurleigh to the national average for England.
LevelRiseleyEngland
No Qualifications12.37%18.08%
Level 18.52%9.69%
Level 213.36%13.32%
Apprenticeship6.18%5.32%
Level 317.46%16.92%
Level 440.25%33.92%

Thurleigh Health Statistics

Riseley has more residents (very_good_pc-$country_health->very_good_pc, 2)%) describing their health as very good than the national average for England.
AreaVGGFBVB
Riseley51.27%33.82%11.21%3.01%0.7%
Bedford48.82%34.97%11.85%3.43%0.94%
East48.28%34.64%12.5%3.58%1%
England48.49%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.
YearVGGFBVB
201146.9%35.98%12.58%3.55%0.98%
202148.82%34.97%11.85%3.43%0.94%
VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, B = Bad & VB = Very Bad

What are the occupations of the residents of Thurleigh?

The largest employment sector in Thurleigh is Managers, Directors & Senior Officials. The smallest employment sector is Process Plant & Machine Operatives.
SectorProportion
Managers, Directors & Senior Officials19.78%
Professional Occupations19.07%
Associate Professional & Technical14.76%
Skilled Trades12.67%
Administrative & Secretarial11.12%
Caring, leisure & Other Services7.29%
Elementary Occupations6.69%
Process Plant & Machine Operatives4.84%

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

We have taken the raw data from the 2021 census and calculated what proportion of people in Thurleigh either own or rent their home. All percentages have been rounded to two decimal places. 76.73 of residents own their home either outright or mortgaged. 23.27 of Thurleigh residents rent their home either privately or through a social landlord.
AreaOwnedRented
Riseley76.73%23.27%
Bedford62.66%37.34%
East65.23%34.77%
England61.31%38.69%

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

Thurleigh compared to other wards in Bedford

#WardOwnedRented
1Bromham and Biddenham83.76%16.25%
2Oakley (Bedford)81.55%18.45%
3Putnoe81.45%18.55%
4Wyboston78.87%21.13%
5Sharnbrook78.19%21.81%
6Kempston South77.81%22.19%
7Riseley76.73%23.27%
8Great Barford76.08%23.92%
9Wilshamstead75.15%24.85%
10Clapham75.13%24.87%
11Brickhill74.94%25.06%
12Wootton (Bedford)74.42%25.58%
13Harrold71.62%28.38%
14Kempston Rural70.87%29.13%
15Newnham (Bedford)70.4%29.6%
16Elstow and Stewartby67.67%32.33%
17Eastcotts66.99%33.01%
18Kempston Central and East61.24%38.76%
19Kempston West59.25%40.75%
20De Parys57.9%42.1%
21Kempston North55.11%44.89%
22Goldington51.56%48.44%
23Queens Park (Bedford)50.95%49.05%
24Kingsbrook46.77%53.23%
25Cauldwell41.95%58.05%
26Harpur38.31%61.69%
27Castle (Bedford)29.51%70.49%
Thurleigh is ranked 7 out of 27 wards in Bedford for the percentage of home owners.

Thurleigh & 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 Thurleigh in the Bedford local area district.

Thurleigh has a lower rate of immigrants than Bedford, the East of England region and England as a whole.
AreaBorn in UKBorn outside UK
Riseley94.51%5.49%
Bedford78.6%21.4%
East85.09%14.91%
England82.65%17.35%

Thurleigh compared to other wards in Bedford

#WardBorn in UKBorn outside UK
1Cauldwell56.9%43.1%
2Queens Park57.1%42.9%
3Castle62.03%37.97%
4Kingsbrook68.23%31.77%
5Harpur68.41%31.59%
6Kempston Central and East72.88%27.12%
7Kempston South76.05%23.95%
8De Parys77.62%22.38%
9Goldington78.9%21.1%
10Kempston North79.59%20.41%
11Kempston West80.38%19.62%
12Eastcotts80.83%19.17%
13Newnham81.68%18.32%
14Brickhill83.08%16.92%
15Kempston Rural83.85%16.15%
16Putnoe84.1%15.9%
17Elstow and Stewartby85.07%14.93%
18Bromham and Biddenham87.54%12.46%
19Wilshamstead88.31%11.69%
20Clapham88.45%11.55%
21Great Barford89.57%10.43%
22Wootton89.88%10.12%
23Sharnbrook91.94%8.06%
24Oakley92.57%7.43%
25Harrold93%7%
26Wyboston93.76%6.24%
27Riseley94.51%5.49%
';Thurleigh is ranked 27 out of 27 wards in Bedford for the number of residents born outside of the UK.

What is the population of Thurleigh and Bedford?

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

WardPopulation
Brickhill7969
Bromham and Biddenham6963
Castle8526
Cauldwell11189
Clapham4555
De Parys6817
Eastcotts4663
Elstow and Stewartby4885
Goldington9687
Great Barford8283
Harpur8718
Harrold4158
Kempston Central and East6981
Kempston North3609
Kempston Rural6763
Kempston South3900
Kempston West6485
Kingsbrook9764
Newnham7769
Oakley3709
Putnoe6923
Queens Park9502
Riseley3358
Sharnbrook3809
Wilshamstead5842
Wootton6270
Wyboston3590
Bedford Total174687



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