Tempsford’s story
11 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Tempsford’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
TempsfordBedfordshire
A village of 603 in Bedfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Michael Trolove · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
603
Census 2021 · Central Bedfordshire council
Median home
£323K
14 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.2
19% are 65+ · Bedfordshire 15%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Tempsford a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Tempsford has no grades; its figures are still real. 7% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 11, with 0 at Grade I.
What makes Tempsford stand out
The 2 things Tempsford does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Tempsford.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Tempsford work nearby than in Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 22% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
91% of commuters drove to work at the census. Working mainly from home: 39% of workers, above Bedfordshire’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Income per household averages £68K a year, before tax.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
Train3%
On foot2%
Bicycle1%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£68K
mean household income, before tax
2.3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Housing
A typical home in Tempsford sells for £322,500
Owners make up 66% of households, close to Bedfordshire’s towns (64%) and above England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,250 a month across the Central Bedfordshire council area. Renting privately is how 18% of households live.
£323Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Tempsford£323K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £280,000 | 7 |
66%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
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
Safety
Tempsford records more violent crime per resident than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 30.4 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were 57% of the crimes. Burglary and damage came to 6.6 per 1,000 residents a year, below Bedfordshire’s towns (10.4) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Police recorded 28 crimes inside Tempsford’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 12 reports of anti-social behaviour.
30.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual16
Damage & arson3
Other theft3
Drugs3
Shoplifting1
Public order1
Other crime1
Burglary0
Anti-social12
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.
30.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
28
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
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.
Health
Most people in Tempsford (84%) report good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Tempsford is Bedford Hospital, 7.9 miles away. Seeing a GP means leaving Tempsford: the nearest practice is 2.4 miles away. At the census, 16% of people here had a disability, between Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (17%).
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Tempsford | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.6
life expectancy at birth, women
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.
History
Tempsford is rich in listed buildings: 182 per 10,000 residents, more than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 37% of Tempsford’s land, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%). Homes built before 1919 account for nearly a fifth of the housing.
11listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II11
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
182
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Children make up only 16% of Tempsford, fewer than in Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
19% of residents are 65 or over, above Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and close to England’s towns (18%). Tempsford has a median age of 46.2. Graduates make up 31% of adults.
46.2median age
TempsfordBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
19%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Tempsford | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Tempsford
14pages on Tempsford
The big questions
Safety30.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £323K · rent £1,250 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Station RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 84.6 (women)Work & commute57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards1.3% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Tempsford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BlunhamGreat BarfordSandySt NeotsPottonGamlingayUpper CaldecoteTempsford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tempsford | 603 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blunham | 1,391 | 1.9 | — | B− | D− | B |
| Great Barford | 2,254 | 2.4 | — | C+ | B+ | B |
| Sandy | 11,375 | 2.5 | C+ | A− | C | C |
| St Neots | 33,262 | 4.1 | B+ | A | C | B− |
| Potton | 5,229 | 4.4 | B | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Gamlingay | 2,920 | 4.6 | B+ | A− | B+ | A |
| Upper Caldecote | 1,333 | 4.9 | — | B− | B | B |
Blunham, Great Barford and Upper Caldecote have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Tempsford
How many listed buildings are there in Tempsford?
That is 7.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Tempsford
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Tempsford is a built-up area of 603 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
- 603 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Central Bedfordshire
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003524
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.