Official statistics · 16 of 16 measures compare directly
Bedford and Somerset 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
Somerset
E06000066 · Avon and Somerset Constabulary
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
394,574 more in Somerset
590,972
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
£4,935 more in Bedford
£36,279
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
£48,259 more in Bedford
£281,571
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£1,170
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£164 more in Bedford
£1,006
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
4.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
1.8 percentage points higher in Bedford
2.6%
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)
90 more in Bedford
+704
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
£89 more in Somerset
£2,561
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
0.6 more in Bedford
19.1
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income-deprived residents
21.6%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
3.5 percentage points higher in Bedford
18.1%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Recorded crime
92.0
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
2.3 more in Bedford
89.7
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
0.2 years more in Bedford
7.8 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
0.8 percentage points higher in Bedford
33.3%
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
1.06 percentage points higher in Somerset
7.06%
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
1,898 more in Bedford
9,576
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
3,502
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
143 more in Somerset
3,646
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 196,398 in Bedford and 590,972 in Somerset (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £41,214 in Bedford and £36,279 in Somerset (2025); and average house price was £329,830 in Bedford and £281,571 in Somerset (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 590,972 in Somerset (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £41,214 in Bedford and £36,279 in Somerset (2025); and average house price was £329,830 in Bedford and £281,571 in Somerset (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 | Somerset per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 92.0 | 18,060 | 89.7 | 52,995 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.2 | 243 | 0.5 | 268 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 3.0 | 581 | 2.9 | 1,719 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6.2 | 1,227 | 6.4 | 3,754 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.7 | 724 | 1.2 | 687 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 2.3 | 444 | 1.8 | 1,091 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.6 | 1,096 | 5.3 | 3,151 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.1 | 211 | 0.5 | 323 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 6.3 | 1,238 | 8.3 | 4,895 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 1.1 | 219 | 1.0 | 603 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 7.8 | 1,540 | 8.1 | 4,789 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 106 | 0.1 | 73 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.5 | 1,071 | 2.3 | 1,352 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 33.1 | 6,507 | 38.1 | 22,515 | 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 590,972 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.