Broom’s story
7 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Broom’s built-up area.
48% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BroomBedfordshire
593 people call this village in Bedfordshire, East of England home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Des Blenkinsopp · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
593
Census 2021 · Central Bedfordshire council
Median home
£460K
23 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.2
26% are 65+ · Bedfordshire 15%
Degree level
34%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Broom a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Broom has no grades; its figures are still real. 5% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 48% of its homes date from before 1919. The median sale price is £460,000.
What makes Broom stand out
The 3 things Broom does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.7 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Broom.
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 19% in Broom, fewer than in Bedfordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Broom counts 0.5 jobs per working resident. The car took 94% of commuters, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Also worth knowing: the 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 2.8%.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot2%
Bus1%
Train1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£68K
mean household income, before tax
2.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
Private renting is less common in Broom than in Bedfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 13%
Owners make up 70% of households, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,250 a month across the Central Bedfordshire council area. Council and housing-body homes hold 17% of households.
£460Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Broom£460K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £557,083 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £390,000 | 7 |
70%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,250
average private rent a month, Central Bedfordshire council area
£2,385
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Burglary and damage are rarer in Broom than in Bedfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 7.3 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence came to 16.3 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (18.6) and England’s towns (22). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 14 offences in Broom and 1 cases of nuisance behaviour.
16.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson2
Public order2
Burglary2
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
16.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
In Broom, 83% say their health is good or very good
There is no GP practice in Broom: the nearest is 1.3 miles off. The nearest A&E to Broom is Bedford Hospital, 8.6 miles away. A disability affects 16% of people in the town.
83%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Broom | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Broom keeps more of its old housing than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 48% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Broom has 118 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Its heritage register entries (7 listed buildings) are all Grade II.
7listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II7
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
48%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
118
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Children make up only 13% of Broom, fewer than in Bedfordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
People 65 and over make up just over a quarter of the town, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Half of Broom is older than 52.2, half younger. Those aged 15 to 24 account for 11% of residents.
52.2median age
BroomBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Broom | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →The Shuttleworth Collection and 3 more in and around Broom
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Broom. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumThe Shuttleworth Collection2.6 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic houseThe Mansion House2.5 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic houseShortmead House2.9 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenThe Swiss Garden2.6 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic houseThe Mansion House2.5 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric houseShortmead House2.9 km outside town, to the northeastGardenGardenThe Swiss Garden2.6 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- The Mansion House: Giles Keen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shortmead House: Richard a slade, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Broom
13pages on Broom
The big questions
Safety16.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £460K · rent £1,250 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street High StreetSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 84.6 (women)Work & commute52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Broom’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LangfordUpper CaldecoteBiggleswadeCliftonHenlowSheffordSandyBroom
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broom | 593 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Langford | 3,712 | 1.6 | B | B− | B | B |
| Upper Caldecote | 1,333 | 1.7 | — | B− | B | B |
| Biggleswade | 21,945 | 1.9 | B− | B+ | B− | C+ |
| Clifton | 2,769 | 2.7 | B | B | C+ | B+ |
| Henlow | 2,446 | 3 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Shefford | 7,317 | 3.1 | B | B+ | C | A− |
| Sandy | 11,375 | 4.1 | C+ | A− | C | C |
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 Broom
How many listed buildings are there in Broom?
That is 4.8 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Broom expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £390,000 and detached houses £557,083.
How much is council tax in Broom?
Band D council tax in Broom is £2,385 for 2026–27, less than in 61% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Broom
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Broom is a built-up area of 593 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
- 593 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Central Bedfordshire
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003771
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.
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.