Cumberland

Local Authority District in England

Cumbria, North West

§ This page gives an overview of the Cumberland 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 ⁞ Cumberland covers the western part of Cumbria, stretching from the Lake District mountains to the Irish Sea coast. Carlisle is the main city, with its medieval castle, cathedral, and proximity to Hadrian’s Wall. The Lake District National Park extends into the district, including mountains like Skiddaw, lakes such as Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater, and towns like Keswick, a hub for walking and outdoor pursuits. The Solway Firth and coastal towns such as Workington, Whitehaven, and Maryport provide maritime character, while inland valleys and fells highlight dramatic scenery. Cumberland’s geography blends coast, mountains, rivers, and historic settlements in one of England’s most diverse landscapes.

Cumberland Boundary Map

This map shows the official boundary of the Cumberland 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 Cumberland can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Cumberland.

Key Facts about Cumberland

What region is Cumberland in? Cumberland is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.

What county is Cumberland in? Cumberland is in the county of Cumbria.

Is Cumberland a city? Yes, Cumberland is a city. Cumberland holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.

Who governs Cumberland? The local government for this district is: Cumberland Council (Unitary Authority).

▶ Official website of Cumberland Council 🔗 cumberland.gov.uk

Which police force covers Cumberland? Policing in Cumberland is provided by Cumbria Constabulary 🔗 cumbria.police.uk, which serves 2 local authority districts: Cumberland ⁞ Westmorland and Furness.

Cumberland in International Geographies

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Cumberland is an ITLs Level 3 area:

(ITL 1) North West
(ITL 2) ⇒ Cumbria
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Cumberland

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.

This district page, Cumberland, is a sub-page of this county page: Cumbria and this region page: North West. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in Cumberland

Cumberland is divided into 4 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 Cumberland

Cumberland is divided into 46 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

Aspatria
Belah
Belle Vue
Botcherby
Bothel and Wharrels
Brampton
Bransty
Castle
Cleator Moor East and Frizington
Cleator Moor West
Cockermouth North
Cockermouth South
Corby and Hayton
Currock
Dalston and Burgh
Dearham and Broughton
Denton Holme
Egremont
Egremont North and St Bees
Gosforth
Harraby North
Harraby South
Harrington
Hillcrest and Hensingham
Houghton and Irthington
Howgate
Kells and Sandwith
Keswick
Longtown
Maryport North
Maryport South
Millom
Millom Without
Mirehouse
Morton
Moss Bay and Moorclose
Seaton
Solway Coast
St John's and Great Clifton
St Michael's
Stanwix Urban
Thursby
Upperby
Wetheral
Wigton
Yewdale

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 Cumberland

Cumberland is part-parished: 128 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 1 unparished areas.

Above Derwent
Aikton
Allhallows
Allonby
Arlecdon and Frizington
Arthuret
Askerton
Aspatria
Bassenthwaite
Beaumont
Beckermet
Bewaldeth and Snittlegarth
Bewcastle
Blennerhasset and Torpenhow
Blindbothel
Blindcrake
Boltons
Bootle
Borrowdale
Bothel and Threapland
Bowness
Brampton
Bridekirk
Brigham
Bromfield
Broughton
Broughton Moor
Burgh by Sands
Burtholme
Buttermere
Caldbeck
Camerton
Carlatton
Castle Carrock
Cleator Moor
Cockermouth
Crosscanonby
Cummersdale
Cumrew
Cumwhitton
Dalston
Dean
Dearham
Distington
Drigg and Carleton
Dundraw
Egremont
Embleton
Ennerdale and Kinniside
Eskdale
Farlam
Gilcrux
Gosforth
Great Clifton
Greysouthen
Haile
Hayton
Hayton and Mealo
Hethersgill
Holme Abbey
Holme East Waver
Holme Low
Holme St Cuthbert
Ireby and Uldale
Irthington
Irton with Santon
Keswick
Kingmoor
Kingwater
Kirkandrews
Kirkbampton
Kirkbride
Kirklinton Middle
Lamplugh
Lands common to Holme Abbey, Holme Low and Holme St Cuthbert
Little Clifton
Lorton
Lowca
Loweswater
Lowside Quarter
Maryport
Midgeholme
Millom
Millom Without
Moresby
Muncaster
Nether Denton
Nicholforest
Orton
Oughterside and Allerby
Papcastle
Parton
Plumbland
Ponsonby
Rockcliffe
Scaleby
Seascale
Seaton
Sebergham
Setmurthy
Silloth-on-Solway
Solport
St Cuthbert Without
St John's Castlerigg and Wythburn
St. Bees
Stanwix Rural
Stapleton
Thursby
Ulpha
Underskiddaw
Upper Denton
Waberthwaite
Walton
Wasdale
Waterhead
Waverton
Weddicar
Westlinton
Westnewton
Westward
Wetheral
Whicham
Whitehaven
Wigton
Winscales
Woodside
Workington
Wythop

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 Cumberland

Below is a list of post towns in Cumberland, grouped by postcode area:

CA ▸ Beckermet (CA21) ⁞ Brampton (CA8) ⁞ Carlisle (CA1 / CA2 / CA3 / CA4 / CA5 / CA6 / CA99) ⁞ Cleator (CA23) ⁞ Cleator Moor (CA25) ⁞ Cockermouth (CA13) ⁞ Egremont (CA22) ⁞ Frizington (CA26) ⁞ Holmrook (CA19) ⁞ Keswick (CA12) ⁞ Maryport (CA15) ⁞ Moor Row (CA24) ⁞ Ravenglass (CA18) ⁞ Seascale (CA20) ⁞ St. Bees (CA27) ⁞ Whitehaven (CA28) ⁞ Wigton (CA7) ⁞ Workington (CA14 / CA95)
LA ▸ Millom (LA18 / LA19)

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 Cumberland

Cumberland covers 72 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

Abbeytown
Allonby
Arlecdon
Aspatria
Beckermet
Bigrigg
Blackbank
Blackwell (Carlisle)
Bootle (Copeland)
Bothel
Braithwaite
Brampton (Carlisle)
Brigham
Broughton Moor
Burgh by Sands
Caldbeck
Cargo
Carlisle
Cleator Moor
Cockermouth
Crosby (Allerdale)
Cumwhinton
Dalston
Dearham
Distington
Dovenby
Egremont
Flimby
Frizington
Gilsland *
Gosforth
Great Broughton and Little Broughton
Great Clifton
Greysouthen
Harker
Haverigg
Hayton (Carlisle)
Heads Nook
High Harrington
Houghton (Carlisle)
Howbeck
Keswick
Kirkbride
Longtown
Lowca
Maryport
Millom
Moor Row
Moresby Parks
Oldwall
Parton
Portinscale
Redmain
Rheda Park
Scotby
Seascale
Seaton (Allerdale)
Sellafield
Siddick
Silloth
Skinburness
St Bees
Stainburn
Tallentire
Thornhill (Copeland)
Thursby
Warwick Bridge
Wetheral
Whitehaven
Wigton
Winscales
Workington

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 Cumberland.)

We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.

Railway Stations in Cumberland

Cumberland 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 Cumberland Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.

Avanti West Coast ▸ Carlisle (CA1 1QZ)
Northern Trains ▸ Whitehaven (CA28 6AX) ⁞ Workington (CA14 2UZ) ⁞ Sellafield (CA20 1RG) ⁞ Millom (LA18 4AY) ⁞ Maryport (CA15 6DA) ⁞ St Bees (CA27 0BZ) ⁞ Corkickle (CA28 8AP) ⁞ Wigton (CA7 9BA) ⁞ Dalston (Cumbria) (CA5 7LT) ⁞ Wetheral (CA4 8JP) ⁞ Seascale (CA20 1QL) ⁞ Ravenglass for Eskdale (CA18 1SW) ⁞ Harrington (CA14 5QQ) ⁞ Aspatria (CA7 2AW) ⁞ Flimby (CA15 8QN) ⁞ Brampton (Cumbria) (CA8 1HW) ⁞ Bootle (Cumbria) (LA19 5TA) ⁞ Parton (CA28 6PA) ⁞ Silecroft (LA18 5LP) ⁞ Green Road (LA18 5HR) ⁞ Drigg (CA19 1XW) ⁞ Braystones (CA21 2YW) ⁞ Nethertown (CA22 2UG)

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.

Cumberland compared with other districts in the UK

This section shows how Cumberland compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.

Cumberland has 46 electoral wards.

Cumberland compared with other districts — ▮ Smaller: 338 ▮ Similar: 4 ▮ Larger: 19 (compared with 361 districts)

Cumberland has a population of 280,495 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)

Population of Cumberland compared with other districts — Population of Cumberland, compared with other districts in England and Wales

Population and Migration Trends in Cumberland

This chart shows the population trend for Cumberland 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 Cumberland can be found on the ONS statistics for Cumberland.

This District Baseview is automatically generated using data from multiple official sources. The program was last updated on 27 January 2026.