England · County

Find your town in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire has 33 towns of 2,500 or more and 66 villages and smaller places. Towns are graded against towns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on cost of living, safety, schools, health and more.

33graded towns

8grade A− or better

66villages and smaller places

Lutonlargest · 233,524

How Bedfordshire compares: its report card →

#1 in BedfordshireSilsoeA⁺

St Marys Church, Oakley (geograph 3530825)

#2 in BedfordshireOakleyA

#3 in BedfordshireAmpthillA

#4 in BedfordshireBromhamA⁻

Bedfordshire at a glance

What Bedfordshire is like

The typical Bedfordshire town grades highest on jobs & income and safety against towns across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and lowest on schools. Choose a subject to find the towns that do best on it.

The typical town, subject by subjectThe median Bedfordshire town against UK towns · the line marks the typical UK town

How Bedfordshire’s towns grade overall33 graded towns

A8B18C7

8 of 33 (24%) grade A− or better, against 25% of UK towns.

Every town ranked by scoreThe full Bedfordshire list, with what drives each grade Compare two townsSide by side, subject by subject

The finder

Find a town that’s…

33 towns · ordered by Bedfordshire rank

A⁺

Silsoe

Town · 3,419 people · #41 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHealthASafetyLowestCWalkability

Oakley

Town · 2,507 people · #227 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestASafetyAJobs & incomeLowestC⁺Cost of living

Ampthill

Town · 8,825 people · #284 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁺Jobs & incomeAHealthLowestC⁻Schools

A⁻

Bromham

Town · 4,652 people · #349 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁺SafetyA⁺HealthLowestCHazard risk

A⁻

Cranfield

Town · 7,053 people · #380 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAJobs & incomeAHealthLowestD⁻Schools

A⁻

Clophill

Town · 2,515 people · #470 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻Jobs & incomeA⁻HealthLowestDWalkability

A⁻

Flitwick

Town · 13,668 people · #486 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAJobs & incomeB⁺Hazard riskLowestC⁻Schools

A⁻

Barton-le-Clay

Town · 4,941 people · #495 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestASafetyAJobs & incomeLowestD⁻Schools

B⁺

Stotfold

Town · 12,313 people · #580 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻Jobs & incomeA⁻HealthLowestCHazard risk

B⁺

Great Denham

Town · 4,363 people · #596 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHealthA⁻Jobs & incomeLowestC⁻Schools

B⁺

Lower Stondon

Town · 3,966 people · #610 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻HealthLowestC⁻Schools

B⁺

Caddington

Town · 3,288 people · #645 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻Jobs & incomeLowestC⁻Walkability

B⁺

Leighton Buzzard

Large town · 42,736 people · #677 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻Jobs & incomeA⁻WalkabilityLowestCHazard risk

B⁺

Toddington

Town · 4,509 people · #721 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskB⁺Jobs & incomeLowestCSchools

Clapham

Town · 4,502 people · #749 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺Cost of livingBJobs & incomeLowestCHazard risk

Marston Moretaine

Town · 6,350 people · #803 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻Jobs & incomeB⁺Cost of livingLowestDWalkability

Potton

Town · 5,229 people · #821 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻HealthB⁺Cost of livingLowestD⁻Schools

Arlesey

Town · 6,027 people · #867 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻Cost of livingB⁻Jobs & incomeLowestCHazard risk

Langford

Town · 3,712 people · #870 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺Jobs & incomeBSafetyLowestDHazard risk

Wootton

Town · 7,567 people · #871 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻Jobs & incomeLowestC⁻Schools

Eaton Bray and Edlesborough

Town · 4,201 people · #898 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻HealthB⁺SafetyLowestDWalkability

Shefford

Town · 7,317 people · #910 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻HealthB⁺Cost of livingLowestC⁻Schools

Clifton

Town · 2,769 people · #939 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺HealthB⁺Hazard riskLowestC⁻Schools

B⁻

Dunstable

Large town · 34,498 people · #1,077 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻WalkabilityLowestC⁻Schools

B⁻

Biggleswade

Large town · 21,945 people · #1,095 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺WalkabilityB⁺Cost of livingLowestDSchools

B⁻

Stewartby

Town · 2,546 people · #1,103 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAHazard riskA⁻Jobs & incomeLowestDWalkability

C⁺

Sandy

Town · 11,375 people · #1,175 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻Cost of livingB⁺WalkabilityLowestC⁻Schools

C⁺

Shortstown

Town · 4,837 people · #1,365 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestBHazard riskBJobs & incomeLowestC⁻Walkability

Kempston

Large town · 22,779 people · #1,465 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestA⁻WalkabilityB⁺Cost of livingLowestC⁻Schools

C⁻

Bedford

Large town · 97,226 people · #1,630 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityBCost of livingLowestDSafety

C⁻

Wixams

Town · 6,044 people · #1,645 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺Jobs & incomeBHealthLowestDHazard risk

C⁻

Houghton Regis

Town · 18,814 people · #1,657 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestB⁺Cost of livingBWalkabilityLowestDSafety

C⁻

Luton

City · 233,524 people · #1,760 of 2,138 nationally

StrongestAWalkabilityBSchoolsLowestDCost of living

Go deeper

Bedfordshire lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Bedfordshire rankings →

Best places to live33 towns · #1 Silsoe Best small towns23 towns · #1 Silsoe Most affordable towns33 towns · #1 Sandy Safest towns33 towns · #1 Bromham Towns with the best schools31 towns · #1 Luton Healthiest towns33 towns · #1 Bromham Best towns for jobs & income33 towns · #1 Ampthill Most walkable towns33 towns · #1 Bedford Towns with the lowest flood risk33 towns · #1 Ampthill and 8 more Best towns for the outdoors33 towns · #1 Silsoe Most historic towns33 towns · #1 Ampthill Towns with the most civic life33 towns · #1 Toddington Towns with the highest household incomes33 towns · #1 Bromham and Great DenhamDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax33 towns · #1 ClophillDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters33 towns · #1 ArleseyDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers33 towns · #1 ShortstownDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers33 towns · #1 ToddingtonDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts33 towns · #1 Arlesey and StotfoldDescribed, no letters Driest towns33 towns · #1 ShortstownDescribed, no letters Wettest towns33 towns · #1 CaddingtonDescribed, no letters

Villages and small towns

66 smaller places in Bedfordshire

Places of 1,000 to 2,500 people have subject grades on their pages, but no overall grade or rank. The search at the top finds these too.

43 places under 1,000 people

Photos: 0: Ojw at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · 1: Mr Biz · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 2: APB-CMX at English Wikipedia · Public domain · 3: Philip Jeffrey · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 4: David Howard · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 5: PAUL FARMER · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 7: Rodney Burton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 9: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 11: Rob Farrow · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 12: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 13: Poliphilo · CC0 · 14: Tim Glover · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 15: Grahamerice at English Wikipedia · Public domain · 16: John Sutton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 18: Richard Croft · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 21: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 22: Elcap · CC0 · 24: Jack1956 · Public domain · 25: John Yaxley · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 27: G1MFG at English Wikipedia · Public domain · 28: Simon Speed · Public domain · 29: M J Richardson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 30: Simon Speed · CC0 · 32: Robert Eva · CC BY-SA 2.0

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.