Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Bedford and Birmingham compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Bedford
E06000055 · Bedfordshire Police
Birmingham
E08000025 · West Midlands Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Birmingham
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
196,398
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
980,562 more in Birmingham
1,176,960
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£41,214
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£5,225 more in Bedford
£35,989
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£329,830
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£95,680 more in Bedford
£234,150
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,170
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£77 more in Bedford
£1,093
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
5.6 percentage points higher in Birmingham
10.0%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+794
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
8,909 more in Birmingham
+9,703
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,472
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£109 more in Bedford
£2,363
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
19.7
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
18.4 more in Birmingham
38.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
21.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
20.1 percentage points higher in Birmingham
41.7%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
92.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
32.0 more in Birmingham
124.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.0 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.5 years more in Bedford
6.5 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
34.1%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
2.3 percentage points higher in Birmingham
36.4%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
6.00%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.57 percentage points higher in Birmingham
6.57%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
11,474
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,237 more in Birmingham
12,711
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,502
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
138 more in Bedford
3,364
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 196,398 in Bedford and 1,176,960 in Birmingham (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £41,214 in Bedford and £35,989 in Birmingham (2025); and average house price was £329,830 in Bedford and £234,150 in Birmingham (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 196,398 in Bedford and 1,176,960 in Birmingham (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £41,214 in Bedford and £35,989 in Birmingham (2025); and average house price was £329,830 in Bedford and £234,150 in Birmingham (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Bedford per 1,000 | offences | Birmingham per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 92.0 | 18,060 | 124.0 | 145,894 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.2 | 243 | 0.6 | 698 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.0 | 581 | 5.7 | 6,702 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 1,227 | 9.5 | 11,157 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.7 | 724 | 4.1 | 4,832 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.3 | 444 | 2.2 | 2,564 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.6 | 1,096 | 7.5 | 8,860 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.1 | 211 | 3.0 | 3,506 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 6.3 | 1,238 | 7.4 | 8,755 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 219 | 3.2 | 3,709 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.8 | 1,540 | 10.7 | 12,627 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 106 | 1.4 | 1,642 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.5 | 1,071 | 10.4 | 12,274 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 33.1 | 6,507 | 52.8 | 62,138 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (196,398 and 1,176,960 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.