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Living in Bedford

Bedford is a city in the United Kingdom. Bedford had a population of 97,235 at the end of 2021.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Bedford?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Bedford.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Bedford yet. United Kingdom has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Rent price index, mean1,370 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics6Official

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Bedford is 4.2%. Of 1,007 cities with data, 657 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in United Kingdom per band24 cities: 0% to under 2%240–2657 cities: 2% to under 4%6572–4265 cities: 4% to under 6%2654–6Bedford 4.2%49 cities: 6% to under 8%496–87 cities: 8% to under 10%78–104 cities: 10% to under 12%410–121 city: 16% to under 18%116–18

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)4,110 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.ons.gov.uk7Official
Unemployment rate4.2 %country median 3.4%31 Dec 2023www.ons.gov.uk8Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Bedford. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim
Open official service
Open the United Kingdom service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Bedford. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count66 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official
School Count103 count3 Aug 2026Department for Education (GIAS)1Official

Mobility and administration

Bedford's nearest airport was LTN, 30 km away and offered 85 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count85 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights4Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km30 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports5Official
Nearest Major Airport IataLTN3 Aug 2026OurAirports5Official

Cities of a similar size in United Kingdom

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All United Kingdom cities
Wakefield97,870 residentsHemel Hempstead95,985 residentsEastbourne99,180 residentsPreston94,490 residentsStevenage94,470 residentsSouthport94,440 residents

Population and city profile

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population97,235 people31 Dec 2021Office for National Statistics2Official

Is Bedford a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker39%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 29–49%
Skilled employee68%strong on work, weak on safety · range 59–77%
Student49%strong on education, weak on safety · range 40–58%
Family66%strong on family, weak on safety · range 56–76%
Retirement35%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 22–48%
Population97,235 people31 Dec 2021Official source · Office for National Statistics
Rent price index, mean1,370 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Official source · Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics
Median gross salary (regional)4,110 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Unemployment rate4.2 %31 Dec 2023Official source · www.ons.gov.uk
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Official source · Office for Students
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-14

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Office for Students3Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Bedford under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

How does Bedford compare?

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Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the typical salary around Bedford?

The median gross salary is 4,110 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the unemployment rate in Bedford?

The unemployment rate is 4.2 %. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

How many people live in Bedford?

The published population is 97,235 people. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Is Bedford a good place to live?

Bedford may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 14). Bedford, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, schools [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/bedford/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_bedford-united-kingdom-rent-salary-jobs-schools_bba069aae89b,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Bedford, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, schools},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/bedford/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Bedford, United Kingdom: rent, salary, jobs, schools](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/bedford/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Department for Education (GIAS) get-information-schools.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-04
  3. Office for Students officeforstudents.org.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  4. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  5. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR), UK: monthly price statistics ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-12
  7. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
  8. www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.