Slip End’s story
Old homes in Slip End: 31% built before 1919
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Slip EndBedfordshire
On the way to work, 12% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Population 1,410: a village in Bedfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Nigel Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,410
Census 2021 · Central Bedfordshire council
Median home
£393K
48 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.5
26% are 65+ · Bedfordshire 15%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Slip End a good place to live?
Hazard risk is its strong suit (A). Buying the median home, at £392,500, takes 6 years of household income in the Central Bedfordshire council area. It also does well on schools — primary results beat 83% of towns in England; secondary results beat 43% of towns in England. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety, C+ for health, B for jobs & income and C+ for walkability.
Figures: flood risk, Environment Agency · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP · commuting, Census 2021. Slip End has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
StrongestAHazard risk
What makes Slip End stand out
The 3 things Slip End does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
31% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
26% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Slip End grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Slip End is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 83% of towns in England; secondary results beat 43% of towns in EnglandB+Open →SafetyLess crime than in most townsBOpen →Cost of livingAbove the middle of the towns comparedBOpen →WalkabilityAbout average among the towns comparedC+Open →HealthGraded on how healthy residents areC+Open →Jobs & incomeClose to the middle of the towns comparedBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History0 listed buildingsC−Open →Outdoors22% live within 400 m of a park; 28% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeCOpen →Civic life2.1 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Slip End.
Who lives here
Slip End skews older, with 26% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Children under 15 make up 16%, below Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. People aged 15 to 24 are 9.1% of the population. The age that splits Slip End in two is 46.5.
46.5median age
Slip EndBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 87 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.
| Slip End | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsB+
Slip End’s schools outperform 66% of towns in England on results
Key Stage 2 results at the 10 primary schools within 3 km: just over two thirds of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. GCSE results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: 44% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 44.2.
B+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slip End Village SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 112 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Slip End keeps more of its old housing than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 31% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Slip End’s built-up area.
0listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
31%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Slip End records more burglary and damage per resident than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 16.1 per 1,000 a year
Violence came to 11.4 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (18.8) and England’s towns (22). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 49 crimes and 8 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Slip End’s built-up area. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Slip End has more crime per resident than 59% of them.
11.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 41% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual16
Vehicle crime11
Burglary8
Public order6
Damage & arson4
Other theft3
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social8
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.
11.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
16.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
49
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B
More households own their home in Slip End than in Bedfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 84%
5% live in social housing, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how one in ten households live. Private rents average £1,250 a month across the Central Bedfordshire council area.
£393Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Slip End£393K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £464,444 | 15 |
| Semi-detached | £392,500 | 14 |
| Terraced | £325,000 | 19 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,250
average private rent a month, Central Bedfordshire council area
£2,424
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Work tends to be further away for Slip End: 19% commute under 5 km, below Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 86% of commuters, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). 3.8% of people aged 16 to 64 were on unemployment benefits in 2026. Average household income comes to £60K a year before tax.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot6%
Train3%
Bus2%
Bicycle1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
36%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£60K
mean household income, before tax
3.8%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C+
Walkability: more walkable than 42% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
84% of people in Slip End rate their health good or very good
Seeing a GP means leaving Slip End: the nearest practice is 1.3 miles away. The town’s share in bad or very bad health, 5.2%, is the second highest of the 56 towns in Bedfordshire. Life expectancy here is 83.1 for women and 79.3 for men (2019–23).
84%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Slip End | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.2% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
79.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.1
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.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Someries Castle and 6 more in and around Slip End
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Slip End. Best known first.
CastleSomeries Castle3.9 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseLuton Hoo1.8 km outside town, to the east
MuseumStockwood Discovery Centre1.2 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumMossman Collection1.3 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumWardown Park Museum4.4 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseBeechwood Park4.7 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Someries Castle: Forscher scs, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Luton Hoo: Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stockwood Discovery Centre: GualdimG, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mossman Collection: Cameraman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wardown Park Museum: Nigel Cox, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beechwood Park: Wanderingyid, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Slip End
14pages on Slip End
The big questions
SafetyB11.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingBMedian home £393K · rent £1,250 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street Front StreetSchoolsB+1 state schoolHealthC+Life expectancy 79.3 (men), 83.1 (women)Work & commuteB52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Slip End’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CaddingtonMarkyateFlamsteadLutonKensworthRedbournHarpendenSlip End
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slip End | 1,410 | — | — | B | B | C+ |
| Caddington | 3,288 | 1.4 | B+ | B− | B+ | B− |
| Markyate | 3,174 | 1.7 | C+ | C | C+ | A− |
| Flamstead | 1,055 | 2.4 | — | D | A | A− |
| Luton | 233,524 | 2.9 | C− | D | C− | C− |
| Kensworth | 1,517 | 2.9 | — | C+ | C+ | B |
| Redbourn | 5,188 | 3.9 | A | C | B | A |
| Harpenden | 30,964 | 4.3 | A+ | C− | A− | A+ |
Flamstead and Kensworth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Slip End
Is Slip End expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £392,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £325,000, semi-detached houses £392,500 and detached houses £464,444. Household incomes are higher than in 67% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B.
Does Slip End flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
About Slip End
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Slip End is a built-up area of 1,410 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
- Population
- 1,410 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Central Bedfordshire
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004251
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.