Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Bedford and Crawley 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
Crawley
E07000226 · Sussex Police
Getting better or worse
−3
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
The same in both
−3
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
71,936 more in Bedford
124,462
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
£1,977 more in Bedford
£39,237
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
£8,481 more in Crawley
£338,311
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,170
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£316 more in Crawley
£1,486
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.1 percentage points higher in Crawley
4.5%
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)
203 more in Crawley
+997
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
£53 more in Bedford
£2,418
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
1.0 more in Crawley
20.8
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
21.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.3 percentage points higher in Crawley
24.9%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
92.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
37.0 more in Crawley
129.0
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
0.6 years more in Crawley
8.6 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
11.3 percentage points higher in Crawley
45.4%
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
0.16 percentage points higher in Crawley
6.16%
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
937 more in Bedford
10,537
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,502
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
327 more in Bedford
3,175
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 196,398 in Bedford and 124,462 in Crawley (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £41,214 in Bedford and £39,237 in Crawley (2025); and average house price was £329,830 in Bedford and £338,311 in Crawley (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 124,462 in Crawley (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £41,214 in Bedford and £39,237 in Crawley (2025); and average house price was £329,830 in Bedford and £338,311 in Crawley (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 | Crawley per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 92.0 | 18,060 | 129.0 | 16,060 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.2 | 243 | 0.6 | 78 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.0 | 581 | 2.7 | 336 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 1,227 | 7.5 | 935 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.7 | 724 | 5.5 | 681 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.3 | 444 | 2.3 | 282 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.6 | 1,096 | 9.2 | 1,142 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.1 | 211 | 6.0 | 750 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 6.3 | 1,238 | 10.6 | 1,320 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 219 | 1.4 | 173 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.8 | 1,540 | 14.7 | 1,832 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 106 | 1.0 | 130 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.5 | 1,071 | 4.3 | 535 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 33.1 | 6,507 | 41.2 | 5,126 | 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 124,462 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.