Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Central Bedfordshire and Luton 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.
Central Bedfordshire
E06000056 · Bedfordshire Police
Luton
E06000032 · Bedfordshire Police
Getting better or worse
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
The same in both
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
321,605
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
85,225 more in Central Bedfordshire
236,380
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£43,645
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£8,913 more in Central Bedfordshire
£34,732
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£356,453
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£66,663 more in Central Bedfordshire
£289,790
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,249
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£28 more in Central Bedfordshire
£1,221
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
2.6%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
3.9 percentage points higher in Luton
6.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+469
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
3,796 more in Luton
+4,265
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,516
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£76 more in Central Bedfordshire
£2,440
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
IMD average score
13.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
16.4 more in Luton
29.5
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
15.3%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
21.2 percentage points higher in Luton
36.5%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
59.2
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
34.6 more in Luton
93.8
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
8.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.1 years more in Luton
8.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
34.3%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
7.9 percentage points higher in Luton
42.2%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
5.77%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
1.26 percentage points higher in Luton
7.03%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
11,276
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
1,332 more in Luton
12,608
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,561
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
252 more in Central Bedfordshire
3,309
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 321,605 in Central Bedfordshire and 236,380 in Luton (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £43,645 in Central Bedfordshire and £34,732 in Luton (2025); and average house price was £356,453 in Central Bedfordshire and £289,790 in Luton (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 321,605 in Central Bedfordshire and 236,380 in Luton (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £43,645 in Central Bedfordshire and £34,732 in Luton (2025); and average house price was £356,453 in Central Bedfordshire and £289,790 in Luton (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 | Central Bedfordshire per 1,000 | offences | Luton per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 59.2 | 19,027 | 93.8 | 22,164 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.3 | 111 | 0.6 | 135 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.2 | 712 | 2.5 | 581 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 4.4 | 1,429 | 6.3 | 1,482 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 2.1 | 679 | 4.8 | 1,128 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.6 | 502 | 2.0 | 474 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 3.6 | 1,151 | 5.9 | 1,394 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.5 | 147 | 1.4 | 342 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 3.7 | 1,181 | 6.2 | 1,472 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 216 | 1.5 | 364 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 3.5 | 1,120 | 8.0 | 1,888 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.2 | 66 | 1.0 | 233 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 4.4 | 1,412 | 6.8 | 1,601 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 20.4 | 6,551 | 33.4 | 7,894 | 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 (321,605 and 236,380 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.