Cople’s story
13 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Cople’s built-up area.
24% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
CopleBedfordshire
781 people live in this village in Bedfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Oliver White · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
781
Census 2021 · Bedford council
Median home
£525K
26 sales in 3 years
Median age
49
24% are 65+ · Bedfordshire 15%
Degree level
38%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Cople a good place to live?
There are no grades for Cople: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 9% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 13 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I.
What makes Cople stand out
The 3 things Cople does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Parish Church of All Saints; 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.9 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 Cople.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Cople: just 19% travel under 5 km, below Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.6. The car took nearly nine in ten commuters, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). What’s more, 49% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
On foot6%
Train2%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
49%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£66K
mean household income, before tax
1.5%
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
Schools
The schools around Cople
The one school in town appears below. At the 3 primary schools within 3 km, 53% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 129 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheerhatch Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 129 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
A home in Cople sells for £525K, more than in Bedfordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
10% rent privately, below Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. Council and housing-body homes hold just over one in ten households. Owners make up 78% of households.
£525Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Cople£525K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £700,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £365,000 | 10 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,173
average private rent a month, Bedford council area
£2,517
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
Cople records less violent crime per resident than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 9.4 per 1,000 a year
Over the year to August 2026, 15 offences were reported in Cople, along with 3 incidents of anti-social behaviour. There were 3.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (10.2) and England’s towns (7.8). 27% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
9.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime6
Violence & sexual4
Other theft2
Burglary2
Public order1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Drugs0
Anti-social3
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.
9.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
15
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
86% of people in Cople say their health is good or very good, more than in Bedfordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Cople: the nearest practice is 2.5 miles away. 14% of residents have a disability, close to Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and below England’s towns (17%). Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Cople is Bedford Hospital, 3.5 miles away.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Cople | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
80.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Cople are listed than in Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 166 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Cople’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of All Saints, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 24% of the total, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%). The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
13listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II12
Among them · Grade I
- Parish Church of All Saints Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
24%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
166
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
An older town: 24% of people in Cople are 65 or over, more than in Bedfordshire’s towns and across England’s towns
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 7.7% of residents, below Bedfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike; what’s more, under-15s account for 17% of the population. The median resident of Cople is 49 years old. Among adults, 38% have a degree.
49median age
CopleBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
24%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level38%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Cople | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Bedford Castle and 8 more in and around Cople
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cople. Best known first.
CastleBedford Castle4.8 km outside town, to the west
MuseumJohn Bunyan museum4.9 km outside town, to the west
MuseumThe Higgins4.8 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseMoggerhanger House2.9 km outside town, to the east
MuseumPanacea Museum4.8 km outside town, to the westHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustWillington Stables400 m outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Bedford Castle: Matthew Paris, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Bunyan museum: Simon Speed, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- The Higgins: Simon Speed, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Moggerhanger House: John Brightley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Panacea Museum: Paul Harrop, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cople
14pages on Cople
The big questions
Safety9.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £525K · rent £1,173 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street Willington RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.5 (men), 84.1 (women)Work & commute63% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards1.9% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Cople’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ShortstownGreat BarfordBedfordBlunhamWilsteadSandyWixamsCople
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cople | 781 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shortstown | 4,837 | 2 | C+ | B | C | C+ |
| Great Barford | 2,254 | 2.6 | — | C+ | B+ | B |
| Bedford | 97,226 | 3 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Blunham | 1,391 | 3.2 | — | B− | D− | B |
| Wilstead | 2,404 | 4 | — | C | A− | C+ |
| Sandy | 11,375 | 4.3 | C+ | A− | C | C |
| Wixams | 6,044 | 4.3 | C− | C+ | C− | B |
Great Barford, Blunham and Wilstead have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cople
How many listed buildings are there in Cople?
That is 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of All Saints.
Is Cople expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £365,000 and detached houses £700,000. Private rents in the Bedford council area averaged £1,173 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Cople?
Band D council tax in Cople is £2,517 for 2026–27, more than in 68% 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 Cople
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Cople is a built-up area of 781 people, in the Bedford 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
- 781 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Bedford
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003638
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.