Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,507 people call this town in Bedfordshire, East of England home.
Oakley’s strongest subject is safety — 11.7 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 4.4 home and vehicle crimes. The town ranks #2 of 33 in Bedfordshire, with an A overall. That leaves it better than 89% of UK towns. Buying the median home, at £367,000, takes 6.1 years of household income in the Bedford council area. It also does well on jobs & income: the mean household earns £64,017 a year. The rest of its grades are middling: B for schools and C+ for walkability.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · income, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021.
The 3 things Oakley 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 Oakley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 21 buildings inside Oakley’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Oakley.
Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Oakley has less crime per resident than 96% of them. Police recorded 51 crimes inside the town’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 1.6 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (10.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences made up 63% 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.
Some 1,133 pupils attend Oakley’s one primary and one secondary. Its two schools are listed below. At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, 58% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 210 | C |
| Lincroft AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 923 | B+ |
At the census, 2.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Bedfordshire’s towns (4.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Disability touches 13% of Oakley’s population. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 0.8 miles off.
| Census 2021 | Oakley | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.6% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Social housing holds 6% of households, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Private renters make up 11% of households. Also worth knowing: from September 2023 to August 2026, 72 homes sold inside Oakley’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £367,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £640,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £330,000 | 31 |
| Terraced | £320,000 | 15 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (2.4%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The census found 12% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 7% of commuters who live in Oakley also work there. The car carried 85% of commuters at the census.
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.
Per 10,000 residents, Oakley counts 84 listed buildings. The town’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. 8% of homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
18% are under 15, between Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). The 65-and-over age group makes up nearly a quarter of residents. Half of Oakley is older than 45.1, half younger.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 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.
| Oakley | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 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 Oakley. Best known first.
MuseumJohn Bunyan museum5 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseum1940's Re-enactors2.1 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumFire Museum1.8 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumMT Museum2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumMuseums and YMCA Canteen2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumS.O.44 Museum1.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
21 listed buildings in Oakley, 1 of them Grade I.
Church of St Mary: Photo: Mr Biz · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Bedford Arms: Photo: JThomas · CC BY-SA 2.0
3 notable people were born in Oakley.
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakley | 2,507 | — | A | C+ | A | B+ |
| Clapham | 4,502 | 1.1 | B | B+ | B | B |
| Bromham | 4,652 | 1.8 | A− | C | A+ | A+ |
| Great Denham | 4,363 | 3.2 | B+ | B− | B− | A |
| Bedford | 97,226 | 3.5 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Sharnbrook | 1,744 | 3.9 | — | C+ | B+ | A |
| Kempston | 22,779 | 4 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Harrold | 1,668 | 4.2 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
Sharnbrook and Harrold have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £367,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £320,000, semi-detached houses £330,000 and detached houses £640,000.
Town in Bedfordshire, England
Oakley is a built-up area of 2,507 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
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.
