Average salary in Bedford
The median full-time salary for jobs in Bedford is £37,994 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £2,573 a month.
Where Bedford ranks
Bedford ranks 140th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 19th of 45 in East of England. Its average rent ranks 130th of 316, close to where its pay ranks. At the median, what is left after rent and Band D council tax (£1,194 a month) ranks 166th of 316, in the lower half.
| Measure | Figure | Rank, all areas | Rank in East of England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, jobs based here | £37,994 | 140th of 348 | 19th of 45 |
| Median pay, residents | £41,214 | 116th of 348 | 25th of 45 |
| Take-home a month at the median | £2,573 | 140th of 348 | 19th of 45 |
| Average rent a month | £1,173 | 130th of 316 | 28th of 45 |
| Band D council tax a year | £2,471.74 | 123rd of 348 | 8th of 45 |
| Left a month after rent and Band D | £1,194 | 166th of 316 | 17th of 45 |
1st is the highest. Ranks compare the 348 council areas on this site. How to read these figures.
Areas with the nearest medians to Bedford: Preston (£38,066), Bath and North East Somerset (£38,040), Spelthorne (£38,007), Horsham (£37,981), Perth and Kinross (£37,972) and Dover (£37,968). UK occupations with a median close to the Bedford median of £37,994: publicans and managers of licensed premises (£38,043), database administrators and web content technicians (£37,995), groundworkers (£37,925) and business sales executives (£37,924).
Pay range for full-time jobs in Bedford
ONS change on the previous year: the median for jobs in Bedford rose 9.4%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs. 50 of 345 council areas had a change this large in either direction. ONS figures for one area come from a sample, so they can move a lot from one year to the next. For East of England as a whole it was a rise of 4.4%.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £24,475 | £2,040 | £21,142 | £1,762 |
| 25th percentile | £29,185 | £2,432 | £24,533 | £2,044 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £37,994 | £3,166 | £30,875 | £2,573 |
| 75th percentile | £50,816 | £4,235 | £40,031 | £3,336 |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England and Wales rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for jobs in Bedford as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 5.3%.
People who work in Bedford and people who live there
The median for people who live in Bedford is £41,214, which is £3,220 (8.5%) higher than the £37,994 median for jobs based there. The residents' figure is the higher of the two. Among all areas, the residents' median ranks 116th of 348 and the jobs median 140th of 348. ONS change on the previous year for residents: a rise of 5.9%.
The jobs figure counts jobs based in Bedford, wherever the worker lives; the residents' figure counts people living in Bedford, wherever they work. ONS rates the residents' median for Bedford as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 6.4%.
Rent and council tax at the median salary
On the median salary for jobs in Bedford (£37,994), the average rent of £1,173 takes 45.6% of take-home pay; on the 25th percentile salary (£29,185) it takes 57.4%. For the average rent to be 30% of take-home pay, the rule of thumb in our rent affordability calculator, you would need a salary of at least £62,695 a year. No more than a quarter of full-time jobs based in Bedford pay more than that.
| Property | Average rent a month | Rent as a share of take-home | Left after rent and Band D council tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| All properties | £1,173 | 45.6% | £1,194 |
| 1 bedroom | £800 | 31.1% | £1,567 |
| 2 bedrooms | £1,029 | 40.0% | £1,338 |
Band D is £206 a month. This is the average Band D for the council area, including parish precepts, so the exact bill depends on your parish. Rents are ONS figures for August 2026 and may be revised.
Bedford and other areas in East of England
Among these 7 areas, Bedford has the 2nd highest median and the highest amount left after rent and Band D council tax. Medians run from £30,929 in Babergh to £38,821 in Brentwood.
| Area | Median salary | Average rent a month | Left after rent and Band D a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood | £38,821 | £1,620 | £815 |
| Bedford | £37,994 | £1,173 | £1,194 |
| Braintree | £37,704 | £1,213 | £1,153 |
| Basildon | £37,539 | £1,424 | £928 |
| West Suffolk | £37,141 | £1,183 | £1,143 |
| Breckland | £33,621 | £928 | £1,179 |
| Babergh | £30,929 | £965 | £989 |
The areas either side of Bedford in the alphabetical list for East of England, highest median first. Each figure is at that area's own median. See all 45 in the East of England table.
How Bedford compares with East of England and the UK
The median for jobs in Bedford is £603 (1.6%) lower than the East of England median, £1,304 (3.3%) lower than the England median and £1,045 (2.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
| Area | Median, jobs there | Median, residents | Take-home a month (England and Wales rates) | Average rent, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | £37,994 | £41,214 | £2,573 | £1,173 |
| East of England | £38,597 | £40,863 | £2,609 | £1,289 |
| England | £39,298 | £39,243 | £2,651 | £1,459 |
| United Kingdom | £39,039 | £39,039 | £2,636 | £1,400 |
Related pages
Every area in the East of England table, salary by job, the take home pay calculator, rent affordability calculator and cost of living calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional. Take-home: 2026/27 England and Wales rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 8: earnings by place of residence, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, released 16 September 2026 (ONS)
- Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (MHCLG, GOV.UK)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
There is no official definition of a good salary. ONS figures for full-time jobs in Bedford (2025) show how pay is spread: one in ten jobs pay less than £24,475, a quarter pay less than £29,185, half pay less than £37,994 and a quarter pay more than £50,816. On the median, take-home pay is about £2,573 a month at 2026/27 rates.
Bedford ranks 140th of 348 council areas for median pay for jobs based there, in the upper half, and 19th of 45 in East of England. Its median of £37,994 is £1,045 (2.7%) lower than the UK median of £39,039.
The ONS average monthly private rent in Bedford was £1,173 in August 2026: £800 for one bedroom and £1,029 for two bedrooms. That is 45.6% of take-home pay on the median salary for jobs there. The figure is provisional and may be revised.
Band D council tax in Bedford is £2,471.74 for 2026/27, about £206 a month, which ranks 123rd of 348 council areas and 8th of 45 in East of England. Your own bill depends on your property's band and any discounts.