Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
On the way to work, 12% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. A town of 7,317 in Bedfordshire, East of England.
Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. Residents are healthier than most: life expectancy is 81.6 for men and 84.7 for women. Taken together, its subjects give Shefford a B overall, better than 57% of UK towns. In the ranking it comes #22 of 33 in Bedfordshire. Buying a home costs less than in most towns (B+): a typical home costs £350,000 and rent runs £1,250 a month. The trade-off is schools — primary results beat nearly one in ten towns in England; secondary results beat 38% of towns in England.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Shefford 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 Shefford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 34 buildings inside Shefford’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1905.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shefford.
50% of pupils at the 5 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Both of the town’s schools appear below. Secondary results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 44.9, with 41% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shefford Lower SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 514 | – |
| Robert Bloomfield AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 962 | C− |
The nearest A&E to Shefford is Bedford Hospital, 8.6 miles away. 85% of the town’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%). Men in Shefford can expect to live to 81.6, women to 84.7 (2019–23). One GP practice serves the town; 72% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Shefford | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
The owner-occupied share of households is 68%. Behind the median of £350,000: 403 standard sales inside Shefford’s built-up area, September 2023 to August 2026. Council and housing-body homes hold 18% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £529,000 | 141 |
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | 72 |
| Terraced | £308,500 | 118 |
| Flat or maisonette | £189,500 | 72 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violent crime ran at 27 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (18.4) and England’s towns (22). Police figures for Shefford’s built-up area: 492 crimes and 92 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences were just over a third of the crimes. For its size, Shefford records more crime per resident than 71% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
A household here earns £71K a year before tax, on average. 86% of commuters drove, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Also worth knowing: the 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 2.6%. Work in town: just over a tenth of resident commuters.
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.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. 8% of homes were built before 1919. One registered park or garden lies in Shefford.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
20% are under 15, near Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and higher than England’s towns (18%). Ages in Shefford split evenly at 39.9: half are older, half younger. Over-65s are 16% of the population.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Shefford | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 27% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 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 Shefford. Best known first.
MuseumRAF Henlow1.9 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseThe Mansion House4.5 km outside town, to the north
MuseumMilitary Intelligence Museum1.3 km outside town, to the westCastleCastleMeppershall Castel2.6 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric siteHawker Hunter WT6122.6 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
34 listed buildings in Shefford.
Catholic Church of St Francis of Assisi: Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Chicksands Priory: Photo: Ashley3D · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The White Hart Public House: Photo: David Kemp · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Shefford Methodist Church: Photo: David Hillas · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shefford | 7,317 | — | B | B+ | C | A− |
| Clifton | 2,769 | 1.4 | B | B | C+ | B+ |
| Meppershall | 2,044 | 1.5 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| Henlow | 2,446 | 2.1 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Lower Stondon | 3,966 | 2.6 | B+ | B | B | A− |
| Langford | 3,712 | 2.9 | B | B− | B | B |
| Shillington | 1,629 | 3.1 | — | B+ | B | B+ |
| Arlesey | 6,027 | 3.5 | B | A− | B− | B− |
Meppershall, Henlow and Shillington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Shefford has 2 state schools; places are handled by Central Bedfordshire council.
Burglary was rare, with 7 reports in the year.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £350,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £189,500, terraced houses £308,500, semi-detached houses £370,000 and detached houses £529,000. Household incomes are higher than in 91% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B+.
Town in Bedfordshire, England
Shefford is a built-up area of 7,317 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.