Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It lies in the south of the wider Borough of Bedford, of which it is the administrative centre. The Bedford Built-up Area – which includes Kempston, Elstow and Biddenham – forms the 69th largest Urban Area in England and Wales with a population of 106,940. The wider borough, including a rural area, had a population of 157,479. Bedford had a population of 81,635 in 2011.