# Bearsted & Downswood

North Maidstone. 8,039 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 2.5 square kilometres.

Bearsted & Downswood had 8,032 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Middle area. Code E02005074. In: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east) › [Maidstone](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone)

## Key figures

- **Median sale price: £425,000** (2025). The median price paid for a home in Bearsted & Downswood was £425,000 in 2025. Joint 1,641st most expensive of 7,259. Source: Worked out by Open Index from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Published 28 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood#f-house-sales-median-price
- **Population: 8,032** (2021). Bearsted & Downswood had 8,032 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). Joint 3,502nd most populated of 9,448. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 100%** (2022). About 100% of people in Bearsted & Downswood live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 93.6%** (January 2026). In Bearsted & Downswood, 93.6% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood#f-gigabit-coverage

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by middle area](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=E02005074) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 100% of people in Bearsted & Downswood live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Sales per year by middle area](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-sales-per-year?place=E02005074) (Worked out by Open Index · 2025): 157 homes were sold in Bearsted & Downswood in 2025.
- [Crime and ASB by middle area](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=E02005074) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Bearsted & Downswood.
- [Population by middle area](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=E02005074) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Bearsted & Downswood had 8,032 usual residents at the census.

## Recorded crime in Bearsted & Downswood

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Bearsted & Downswood at a rate of 37.2 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 85.4 per 1,000 people across Maidstone.
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.

| Kind of crime, 12 months to August 2026 | Count |
| --- | --- |
| Violence and sexual offences | 110 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 97 |
| Other crime | 34 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 21 |
| Vehicle crime | 16 |
| Shoplifting | 9 |
| Burglary | 7 |
| Drug offences | 5 |
| Robbery | 0 |
| Theft from the person | 0 |

Source: police.uk, 12 months to August 2026.

## How Bearsted & Downswood compares

Each middle area against every other middle area the measure covers.

| Measure | Bearsted & Downswood | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Median sale price | £425,000 | 3rd most expensive | 19 middle areas, Maidstone · 2025 |
| Population | 8,032 | 7th least populated | 19 middle areas, Maidstone · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 100% | joint most people in radon Affected Areas | 19 middle areas, Maidstone · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 93.6% | 3rd highest | 19 middle areas, Maidstone · Jan 2026 |

## Is Bearsted & Downswood safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Bearsted & Downswood at a rate of 37.2 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 85.4 per 1,000 people across Maidstone.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 30 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Bearsted & Downswood.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (110), anti-social behaviour (97) and other crime (34).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of Maidstone

These figures are published for the whole of Maidstone, not for each middle area, so they describe all of Maidstone and not Bearsted & Downswood alone. [See Maidstone](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone)

- **Average house price: £352,878** (August 2026). Maidstone’s average house price was £352,878 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Down 1.1% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £38,191** (2025). Full-time workers living in Maidstone earned a median of £38,191 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 165th lowest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 9.2×** (2025). A home in Maidstone costs 9.2 times local full-time pay. Joint 78th least affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 18.1** (2025). Maidstone has a deprivation score of 18.1 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). 137th least deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Bearsted & Downswood in brief

The median price paid for a home in Bearsted & Downswood was £425,000 in 2025.
Bearsted & Downswood had 8,032 usual residents at the census.
About 100% of people in Bearsted & Downswood live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Bearsted & Downswood, 93.6% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.

## About

- Type: Middle area
- Code: E02005074
- Ward: [Bearsted & Downswood †](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/ward/bearsted-and-downswood)
- Constituency: [Faversham and Mid Kent †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/faversham-and-mid-kent)
- Council: [Maidstone](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone)
- Region: [South East](https://openindex.co.uk/south-east)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 2.51 km²
- People, mid-2024: 8,039*
- Neighbourhoods: 5
- Output areas: 26

* People: worked out by Open Index by adding up the neighbourhood estimates inside this area.
† Best fit: the ward and constituency this middle area mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow theirs.

## Next door

[Boxley & Detling](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/boxley-and-detling), [Kingswood, Langley Heath & Chart Sutton](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/kingswood-langley-heath-and-chart-sutton), [Grove Green](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/grove-green), [Mote Park](https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/mote-park)

## Latest updates for Bearsted & Downswood

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E02005074

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood#f-house-sales-median-price.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/maidstone/bearsted-and-downswood