Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4,837 people call this town in Bedfordshire, East of England home. Over-65s are only 7% of the population.
The weak point is safety — 31.4 violent and sexual offences and 12.3 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Against UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has more crime per resident than 74%. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: 10% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Floods and other hazards weigh less here (B). A median £325,000 buys a home here, 5.4 times what households in the Bedford council area earn in a year. All told, that adds up to a C+ overall and a rank of #28 of 33 in Bedfordshire. On that grade it does better than 36% of UK towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: C+ for health and B for jobs & income.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP.
The 3 things Shortstown 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 Shortstown is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 7 buildings inside Shortstown’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade II*.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Shortstown. Best known first.
CastleBedford Castle2.9 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumThe Higgins3 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumJohn Bunyan museum3 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumMoot Hall1.9 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseMoggerhanger House4.8 km outside town, to the east
MuseumPanacea Museum2.9 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shortstown.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
2% of its homes were built before 1919, below Bedfordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Listed buildings per head: 14 for every 10,000 residents of Shortstown.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Attainment 8 at the 4 secondary schools within 3 km averages 45.7, and 45% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. The town has one school, shown below. Key Stage 2 results at the 11 primary schools within 3 km: 54% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shortstown Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 479 | C− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 4.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026, above Bedfordshire’s towns (2.3%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Households take home £65K a year before tax, on average. 5% of commuters who live in Shortstown also work there. The town counts 0.5 jobs per working resident.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 356 offences in Shortstown and 55 cases of nuisance behaviour. There were 13.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both Bedfordshire’s towns (10.2) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 45% of the crimes.
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.
Just over one in ten residents have a disability, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Shortstown: the nearest practice is 1.6 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Shortstown | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 89% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.9% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
67% of households own their home, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,173 a month across the Bedford council area. From September 2023 to August 2026, 225 homes sold inside Shortstown’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £325,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £407,500 | 62 |
| Semi-detached | £335,750 | 68 |
| Terraced | £280,000 | 55 |
| Flat or maisonette | £190,000 | 40 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Shortstown has a median age of 32.9 years. 6.7% of residents are 65 or over. Degrees are held by 36% of adults, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%).
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Shortstown | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 37% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 6.7% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortstown | 4,837 | — | C+ | B | C | C+ |
| Bedford | 97,226 | 2.2 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Wilstead | 2,404 | 2.3 | — | C | A− | C+ |
| Wixams | 6,044 | 2.4 | C− | C+ | C− | B |
| Kempston | 22,779 | 2.8 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Great Denham | 4,363 | 3.5 | B+ | B− | B− | A |
| Houghton Conquest | 1,867 | 3.8 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Wootton | 7,567 | 4.2 | B | C+ | A− | B− |
Wilstead and Houghton Conquest have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
GCSE results trail 50% of towns in England, and primary results trail 82% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Bedford council.
Town in Bedfordshire, England
Shortstown is a built-up area of 4,837 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.