Barnsley
§ This page gives an overview of the Barnsley local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Barnsley sits between the Peak District National Park to the west and the rolling South Yorkshire landscape to the east. The town of Barnsley is historically linked with coal mining and glassmaking, and today it retains a proud industrial heritage while offering modern shopping, culture, and markets. Surrounding areas include picturesque villages, Cannon Hall Museum and Gardens, and Wentworth Castle Gardens. Its location near the Pennines provides outdoor opportunities, while its heritage is celebrated in museums and cultural festivals.
The administrative boundary of Barnsley can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Barnsley.
Key Facts about Barnsley
What region is Barnsley in? Barnsley is in the Yorkshire and The Humber of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Barnsley in? Barnsley is located in the county of South Yorkshire.
Is Barnsley a city? No, Barnsley is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Barnsley? The local government for this district is: Barnsley Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Barnsley Borough Council 🔗 barnsley.gov.uk
Which police force covers Barnsley? Policing in Barnsley is provided by South Yorkshire Police 🔗 southyorkshire.police.uk, which serves 4 local authority districts: Barnsley ⁞ Doncaster ⁞ Rotherham ⁞ Sheffield.
Barnsley in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Barnsley is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) Yorkshire and The Humber
- (ITL 2) ⇒ South Yorkshire
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Barnsley
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Barnsley
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 54 of them are in Yorkshire and the Humber region. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Barnsley
Barnsley is divided into 21 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Central
- Cudworth
- Darfield
- Darton East
- Darton West
- Dearne North
- Dearne South
- Dodworth
- Hoyland Milton
- Kingstone
- Monk Bretton
- North East
- Old Town
- Penistone East
- Penistone West
- Rockingham
- Royston
- St Helens
- Stairfoot
- Wombwell
- Worsbrough
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Barnsley
Barnsley is part-parished: 17 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 4 unparished areas.
- Billingley
- Cawthorne
- Dunford
- Great Houghton
- Gunthwaite and Ingbirchworth
- High Hoyland
- Hunshelf
- Langsett
- Little Houghton
- Oxspring
- Penistone
- Shafton
- Silkstone
- Stainborough
- Tankersley
- Thurgoland
- Wortley
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Barnsley
Barnsley covers 40 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barnburgh and Harlington *
- Barnsley
- Barugh Green and Redbrook
- Birdwell
- Bolton upon Dearne *
- Brampton (Rotherham) *
- Brierley
- Carlton (Barnsley)
- Cawthorne
- Chapeltown and High Green *
- Crow Edge
- Cudworth and Shafton
- Darfield
- Darton *
- Dodworth
- Goldthorpe *
- Great Houghton (Barnsley)
- Grimethorpe
- Hemingfield
- Hoyland
- Hoylandswaine
- Ingbirchworth *
- Jump
- Millhouse Green
- Oughtibridge *
- Oxspring
- Penistone
- Royston (Barnsley) *
- Silkstone
- Silkstone Common
- Thurgoland
- Thurlstone
- Thurnscoe *
- Upper Denby *
- Upper Hoyland
- Upper Tankersley
- Wath upon Dearne *
- Wharncliffe Side *
- Wombwell *
- Worsbrough
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Barnsley.)
Barnsley compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Barnsley compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Barnsley has 21 electoral wards.
Barnsley has a population of 251,770 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Barnsley can be found on the ONS statistics for Barnsley.