Bolton
§ This page gives an overview of the Bolton local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Bolton, set on the foothills of the West Pennine Moors in Greater Manchester, combines a busy town centre with surrounding countryside and villages. The town is noted for landmarks such as Bolton Town Hall and the Octagon Theatre, while the moors provide open spaces, reservoirs, and scenic trails. Surrounding communities such as Horwich, with its close ties to Rivington Pike and Winter Hill, offer access to popular walking areas. Historic mills and Victorian architecture reflect Bolton’s industrial past, while green spaces like Queen’s Park balance the urban setting.
Bolton Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Bolton local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Bolton can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Bolton.
Key Facts about Bolton
What region is Bolton in? Bolton is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Bolton in? Bolton is located in the county of Greater Manchester.
Is Bolton a city? No, Bolton is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Bolton? The local government for this district is: Bolton Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Bolton Borough Council 🔗 bolton.gov.uk
Which police force covers Bolton? Policing in Bolton is provided by Greater Manchester Police 🔗 gmp.police.uk, which serves 10 local authority districts: Bolton ⁞ Bury ⁞ Manchester ⁞ Oldham ⁞ Rochdale ⁞ Salford ⁞ Stockport ⁞ Tameside ⁞ Trafford ⁞ Wigan.
Constituencies in Bolton
Bolton is divided into 3 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Bolton
Bolton is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Astley Bridge
- Bradshaw
- Breightmet
- Bromley Cross
- Farnworth North
- Farnworth South
- Great Lever
- Halliwell
- Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor
- Horwich North
- Horwich South & Blackrod
- Hulton
- Kearsley
- Little Lever & Darcy Lever
- Queens Park & Central
- Rumworth
- Smithills
- Tonge with the Haulgh
- Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill
- Westhoughton South
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Bolton
Bolton is part-parished: 3 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 4 unparished areas.
- Blackrod
- Horwich
- Westhoughton
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.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Bolton
Below is a list of post towns in Bolton, grouped by postcode area:
BL ▸ Bolton (BL1 / BL2 / BL3 / BL4 / BL5 / BL6 / BL7 / BL11 / BL78)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Bolton
Bolton covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Adlington (Chorley) *
- Aspull *
- Atherton *
- Blackrod
- Bolton (Bolton) *
- Bottom o' th' Moor
- Chew Moor
- Clifton (Salford) *
- Farnworth *
- Hindley *
- Horwich *
- Hunger Hill (Bolton)
- Kearsley
- Little Hulton *
- Little Lever *
- Westhoughton *
- Wingates
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 Bolton.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Bolton
Bolton is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Bolton Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Northern Trains ▸ Bolton (BL2 1BE) ⁞ Bromley Cross (Lancs) (BL7 9AG) ⁞ Lostock (BL6 4JP) ⁞ Blackrod (BL6 5JH) ⁞ Hall-I'-Th'-Wood (BL1 8UF) ⁞ Daisy Hill (BL5 2JQ) ⁞ Westhoughton (BL5 3LE) ⁞ Kearsley (Manchester) (BL4 8DU) ⁞ Farnworth (BL4 7QZ) ⁞ Moses Gate (BL4 7LT)
- Transport for Greater Manchester ▸ Horwich Parkway (BL6 6LB)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Bolton compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Bolton compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Bolton has 20 electoral wards.
Bolton has a population of 310,085 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Bolton
This chart shows the population trend for Bolton from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Bolton can be found on the ONS statistics for Bolton.