Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard

§ This page provides a baseview of UK constituency, bringing together various information and resources to help you better understand the area of Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.

Overview ⁞ This constituency covers two Bedfordshire market towns—Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard—alongside rural villages and farmland. Dunstable features historic structures, a shopping centre, and Luton Hoo estate nearby; Leighton Buzzard offers canal-side walks, Georgian buildings, and a community market. The A5, A4146, and M1/National Rail nearby connect both towns to Luton, Milton Keynes, and London, merging market-town roots with commuter movement.

Constituency Map and Boundary Information

Below is an interactive map showing the boundary of the Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard parliamentary constituency. The boundary data is sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), using the latest official geographic definitions.

You can explore official statistics for this area on the ONS Explore Local Statistics page, or view its location on the UK Parliament constituency map.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Boundary data: Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2024; Contains Office for National Statistics data © ONS 2024, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Wards in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard

Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard is divided into 11 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Dunstable Central
  • Dunstable East
  • Dunstable North
  • Dunstable South
  • Dunstable West
  • Heath & Reach
  • Houghton Regis East
  • Houghton Regis West
  • Leighton-Linslade North
  • Leighton-Linslade South
  • Leighton-Linslade West

Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard is a constituency that covers these wards in Central Bedfordshire.

Wards and constituencies: wards are the smallest electoral areas used to elect local councillors who make decisions about local services, while parliamentary constituencies are much larger areas used to elect one MP to represent them in the House of Commons. In simple terms, wards are for local council elections, and constituencies are for national parliamentary elections.

Population by age group

The most recent data for constituencies in England and Wales comes from mid-year estimates for 2022. This tells us what the population was estimated to be on 30 June 2022.

Population by age group, June 2022
Age Band Constituency (Number) Constituency (%) Region (Number) Region (%) England & Wales (Number) England & Wales (%)
0 to 17 25,136 22.66% 1,348,369 21.07% 12,506,535 20.76%
18 to 24 6,875 6.20% 465,497 7.28% 5,008,522 8.31%
25 to 34 16,067 14.49% 810,089 12.66% 8,098,257 13.44%
35 to 49 23,783 21.44% 1,242,589 19.42% 11,575,752 19.22%
50 to 64 20,590 18.56% 1,261,140 19.71% 11,745,365 19.50%
65 and over 18,461 16.64% 1,270,813 19.86% 11,303,607 18.76%

Population by ethnic group

The most recent census asked people about their ethnic group. The census was carried out in March 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and in March 2022 in Scotland.

Population by ethnic group March 2021
Ethnic Group Constituency (Number) Constituency (%) Region (%) England & Wales (%)
English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British 83,538 77.36% 78.49% 74.42%
Other White 9,044 8.38% 6.78% 6.15%
African 2,365 2.19% 1.87% 2.50%
Indian 1,869 1.73% 2.16% 3.13%
Irish 1,341 1.24% 0.91% 0.85%
Other Asian 1,274 1.18% 1.27% 1.63%
White and Black Caribbean 1,245 1.15% 0.82% 0.86%
Caribbean 1,239 1.15% 0.66% 1.05%
White and Asian 1,080 1.00% 0.81% 0.82%
Any other ethnic group 982 0.91% 1.11% 1.55%
Other Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups 859 0.80% 0.77% 0.78%
Pakistani 771 0.71% 1.57% 2.66%
White and Black African 540 0.50% 0.43% 0.42%
Other Black 514 0.48% 0.38% 0.50%
Chinese 452 0.42% 0.61% 0.75%
Bangladeshi 332 0.31% 0.80% 1.08%
Arab 219 0.20% 0.25% 0.56%
Roma 180 0.17% 0.15% 0.17%
Gypsy or Irish Traveller 136 0.13% 0.14% 0.11%

Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard compared with other constituencies

Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard has a population of 118,490 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS). The population of the UK is 69,281,400 as of mid-2024. There are 650 constituencies, so the average population per constituency is around 106,600.

Population of 650 Constituencies
Population of 650 Constituencies (2024 mid-year estimate) sorted ascending

Compared with the other 649 constituencies, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard has a population higher than 531, lower than 74, and similar to 45 constituencies (±2,500, including itself).

ONS Local Statistics for this Constituency

Understanding the social and economic characteristics of this constituency helps residents, community groups, researchers and businesses gain a clearer picture of the local area. ONS provides a wide set of local indicators that describe who lives here, how people work, their health, housing conditions and more.

Below, we highlight three useful measures — Household Deprivation, General Health, and Economic Activity Status — as an accessible introduction to the overall profile of Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. These indicators offer a quick snapshot of living conditions, wellbeing and employment patterns.

Go to this ONS web page to explore all local indicators and build your custom profile for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.

ONS provides datasets of 38 indicators across six themes, covering a comprehensive range of local statistics for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard:

  • Demography and migration: Population, Number of households, Age profile, Sex, Live births, Deaths, Legal partnership status, Country of birth, Passports held, Length of residence in the UK, Household size, Household composition, Household deprivation.
  • Economy: Distance travelled to work, Method of travel to workplace, Economic activity status, Employment history, Occupation, Socio-economic classification (NS-SeC), Hours per week worked.
  • Education and skills: Highest level of qualification, Schoolchildren and full-time students.
  • Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion: Ethnic group, National identity, Religion, Proficiency in English.
  • Health and wellbeing: General health, Disability, Provision of unpaid care.
  • Housing: Residential property sales, Energy efficiency of housing, Accommodation type, Number of cars or vans, Central heating, Number of bedrooms, Occupancy rating, Tenure of household, Second address indicator.

These indicators provide a well-rounded picture of Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard and allow you to compare local characteristics with other areas across the UK. The embedded charts just show a simplified starting point, and you are encouraged to explore the full ONS datasets for further detail.

This Constituency Baseview is automatically generated using data from multiple official sources and stored in our database. The underlying programme was last updated on 4 December 2025. We continue to enhance these pages and add new insights, so feel free to check back for updates.