The weak point is schools — primary results beat 8% of towns in England; secondary results beat 18% of towns in England. With a B− overall, Biggleswade sits #25 of 33 in Bedfordshire. Set against the rest, it does better than 48% of UK towns. It is easy to get around without a car: on the way to work, 19% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Add cost of living to its strengths — a typical home costs £350,000 and rent runs £1,250 a month.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Biggleswade is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Biggleswade.
SchoolsD
Exam results at Biggleswade’s schools trail 92% of towns in England
Biggleswade’s three primaries and two secondaries have 3,343 pupils between them. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. At the town’s 2 primary schools, 50% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 6 schools →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Fewer commuters in Biggleswade work nearby than in Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 31% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Biggleswade has 0.8 jobs. Nearly four in five commuters drove, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). In 2026, 2.9% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. Of the commuters living locally, 26% work in the town itself.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B+
Few households rent privately in Biggleswade: 15%, fewer than in both Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Just over two thirds of households are owner-occupiers. 1,083 standard sales inside Biggleswade’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £350,000. Also worth knowing: the social rented sector houses 14% of households.
£350Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Biggleswade£350K
Typical UK town£277K
By type
Median
Sales
Detached
£485,000
246
Semi-detached
£373,450
357
Terraced
£300,000
299
Flat or maisonette
£210,000
181
68%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,250
average private rent a month, Central Bedfordshire council area
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
85% of residents say their health is good or very good
The nearest A&E to Biggleswade is Bedford Hospital, 9.7 miles away. 2 GP practices serve the town; 58% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.1% of the town.
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Listed buildings in Biggleswade: 49
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. Before 1919: that is when 8% of homes were built. Biggleswade has 22 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (41) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Crime per resident in Biggleswade is higher than in 55% of UK towns
Town centres with shops, stations and nightlife record more crime per resident: police.uk counts crimes where they happen, not where victims live.
Among the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people, Biggleswade has less crime per resident than 75% of them. Over the year to August 2026, 1,254 offences were reported locally, along with 293 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Two fifths of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
23.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 75% of the 645 UK towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
More crimeLess crime
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual504
Shoplifting195
Vehicle crime103
Damage & arson96
Other theft95
Public order94
Burglary43
Other crime38
Anti-social293
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
23.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Who lives here
Few people in Biggleswade are 15 to 24: 9.5%, fewer than in both Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
One measure of family life: 19% of residents are under 15. Biggleswade has a median age of 37.7 years. 15% of residents have reached 65.
37.7median age
BiggleswadeBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
15%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
WomenEnglandMen
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
Dan Albone: Unknown photographer, Public domain · Henry Ryland: Micktherocktapper, CC BY-SA 4.0 · William Welsh: Forward (F/O) : Royal Air Force official photographer, Public domain
Upper Caldecote and Henlow have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Biggleswade
Is Biggleswade safe?
Against all UK towns, most of them smaller, it grades B−.
Does Biggleswade flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Biggleswade expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £350,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £210,000, terraced houses £300,000, semi-detached houses £373,450 and detached houses £485,000.
About Biggleswade
Large town in Bedfordshire, England
Biggleswade is a built-up area of 21,945 people, in the Central Bedfordshire council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
Population
21,945 (Census 2021)
Council
Central Bedfordshire
County
Bedfordshire
Region
East of England
Area
2.2 sq mi (5.7 km²)
ONS code
E63003740
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
