Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,769 residents make their home in this town in Bedfordshire, East of England.
Overall, Clifton earns a B: better than 56% of UK towns, and #23 of 33 in Bedfordshire. People here tend to be in good health: life expectancy 80.4 for men, 85.2 for women. The trade-off is schools (C−) — primary results beat 11% of towns in England; secondary results beat 38% of towns in England. Buying the median home, at £422,500, takes 6.4 years of household income in the Central Bedfordshire council area.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Clifton does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Clifton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 15 buildings inside Clifton’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Clifton.
Below is its only school. Key Stage 2 results at the 5 primary schools within 3 km: 52% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 229 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton All Saints AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 229 | D |
85% of Clifton’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, about level with Bedfordshire’s towns (84%) and above England’s towns (82%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 0.9 miles off. The nearest A&E to Clifton is Lister Hospital, 8.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Clifton | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Just over one in ten commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%). Home was the main workplace for 38% of workers at the census. Household income averages £66K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 9%. Conservation areas cover 20% of Clifton’s land, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Police figures for Clifton’s built-up area: 146 crimes and 23 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Of all the crimes, 30% were violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 10.5 reports per 1,000, close to Bedfordshire’s towns (10.2) and above England’s towns (7.8).
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.
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.
Nearly three quarters of households are owner-occupiers. Half of the 138 standard sales inside Clifton’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £422,500. Private rents average £1,250 a month across the Central Bedfordshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £552,000 | 57 |
| Semi-detached | £365,000 | 43 |
| Terraced | £330,350 | 36 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Children under 15 make up 18%, lower than Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and near England’s towns (18%). The 65-and-over age group makes up a fifth of residents. Half of Clifton is older than 43.8, half younger.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Clifton | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Clifton. Best known first.
MuseumRAF Henlow1.8 km outside town, to the south
MuseumMilitary Intelligence Museum3.7 km outside town, to the westCastleCastleMeppershall Castel3.8 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric siteHawker Hunter WT6122.5 km outside town, to the southPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
15 listed buildings in Clifton.
The Alms Cottages: Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Holly Cottage: Photo: Philip Jeffrey · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton | 2,769 | — | B | B | C+ | B+ |
| Henlow | 2,446 | 0.8 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Shefford | 7,317 | 1.4 | B | B+ | C | A− |
| Langford | 3,712 | 1.8 | B | B− | B | B |
| Meppershall | 2,044 | 2 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Lower Stondon | 3,966 | 2.2 | B+ | B | B | A− |
| Arlesey | 6,027 | 2.2 | B | A− | B− | B− |
| Stotfold | 12,313 | 3.3 | B+ | B− | B+ | A− |
Henlow and Meppershall have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 2.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
GCSE results trail 62% of towns in England, and primary results trail 89% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Central Bedfordshire council.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £422,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £330,350, semi-detached houses £365,000 and detached houses £552,000. Household incomes are higher than in 83% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
About the middle for its size: 58% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people report less crime per resident. Against all UK towns, it grades C+.
Town in Bedfordshire, England
Clifton is a built-up area of 2,769 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
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.
