Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
770 people call this village in Bedfordshire, East of England home.
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Milton Ernest has no grades; its figures are still real. 9% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 18, with 1 at Grade I. Homes change hands at a median £432,500.
The 3 things Milton Ernest does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Milton Ernest’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
26% 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 Milton Ernest.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took nine in ten commuters, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 45% of workers at the census. About 7% of its commuters stay in Milton Ernest for work. The town counts 2 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Below is its only school. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 50.4, with 56% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Its one primary school teaches 67 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Ernest CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 67 | C |
Nearly one in ten households rent from a council or housing body. Private renters make up 13% of households, below Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. That is the middle of 25 standard sales inside Milton Ernest’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £510,000 | 12 |
| Terraced | £267,500 | 8 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police figures for Milton Ernest’s built-up area: 22 crimes and 21 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 14.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Bedfordshire’s towns (10.2) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Violence and sexual offences made up 55% of the total.
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.
18% of residents have a disability, about level with England’s towns (17%) and above Bedfordshire’s towns (15%). There is no GP practice in Milton Ernest: the nearest is 1.8 miles off. Self-reported good health: just over four fifths of the town’s residents.
| Census 2021 | Milton Ernest | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Milton Ernest’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of All Saints, Grade I. 26% of homes date from before 1919. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Milton Ernest has a median age of 51.4. 27% of residents have reached 65. Degrees are held by nearly two in five adults, above Bedfordshire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%) alike.
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Milton Ernest | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.5% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 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 Milton Ernest. Best known first.
Historic houseColworth House4.8 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumThurleigh Museum3.9 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseum1940's Re-enactors1 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumFire Museum1.2 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumMT Museum1 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumMuseums and YMCA Canteen1 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Milton Ernest is a built-up area of 770 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Ernest | 770 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oakley | 2,507 | 1.5 | A | C+ | A | B+ |
| Clapham | 4,502 | 2 | B | B+ | B | B |
| Sharnbrook | 1,744 | 2.8 | — | C+ | B+ | A |
| Bromham | 4,652 | 3.3 | A− | C | A+ | A+ |
| Harrold | 1,668 | 4.1 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Bedford | 97,226 | 4.4 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Riseley | 1,320 | 4.4 | — | C | B+ | A |
Sharnbrook, Harrold and Riseley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 9.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of All Saints. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
By type: terraced houses £267,500 and detached houses £510,000. Private rents in the Bedford council area averaged £1,173 a month in August 2026.
Band D council tax in Milton Ernest is £2,486 for 2026–27, more 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.
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.