Leeds
§ This page gives an overview of the Leeds 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 ⁞ Leeds, the largest city in West Yorkshire, combines a thriving urban centre with extensive suburbs and surrounding countryside. The city centre features striking Victorian arcades, Leeds Town Hall, the Corn Exchange, and modern developments such as Trinity Leeds and Victoria Gate. Cultural venues include Leeds Art Gallery, the Royal Armouries, and Leeds Grand Theatre. The River Aire and Leeds-Liverpool Canal run through the city, with regenerated waterfront areas offering restaurants and leisure. Outlying towns and suburbs such as Horsforth, Morley, and Otley add historic charm, while Roundhay Park and Golden Acre Park provide green escapes. The nearby Wharfe Valley and Yorkshire Dales extend scenic beauty into the district.
What County is Leeds in?
Leeds is in the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire, in England. Today, Leeds is governed by Leeds City Council as a metropolitan district, which means it manages its own local services while still being officially part of West Yorkshire for ceremonial and geographic purposes.
Historically, Leeds was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire. This is why Leeds is often described simply as being “in Yorkshire,” especially in cultural, sporting, and traditional contexts. In summary, Leeds is officially in West Yorkshire, with strong historic ties to the wider county of Yorkshire.
Leeds Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Leeds 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 Leeds can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Leeds.
Key Facts about Leeds
What region is Leeds in? Leeds is in the Yorkshire and The Humber of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Leeds in? Leeds is located in the county of West Yorkshire.
Is Leeds a city? Yes, Leeds is a city. Leeds holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Leeds? The local government for this district is: Leeds City Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Leeds City Council 🔗 leeds.gov.uk
Which police force covers Leeds? Policing in Leeds is provided by West Yorkshire Police 🔗 westyorkshire.police.uk, which serves 5 local authority districts: Bradford ⁞ Calderdale ⁞ Kirklees ⁞ Leeds ⁞ Wakefield.
Leeds in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Leeds is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) Yorkshire and The Humber
- (ITL 2) ⇒ West Yorkshire
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Leeds
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 Leeds
Leeds is divided into 10 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Leeds Central and Headingley
- Leeds East
- Leeds North East
- Leeds North West
- Leeds South
- Leeds South West and Morley
- Leeds West and Pudsey
- Selby
- Wakefield and Rothwell
- Wetherby and Easingwold
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 Leeds
Leeds is divided into 33 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Adel & Wharfedale
- Alwoodley
- Ardsley & Robin Hood
- Armley
- Beeston & Holbeck
- Bramley & Stanningley
- Burmantofts & Richmond Hill
- Calverley & Farsley
- Chapel Allerton
- Cross Gates & Whinmoor
- Farnley & Wortley
- Garforth & Swillington
- Gipton & Harehills
- Guiseley & Rawdon
- Harewood
- Headingley & Hyde Park
- Horsforth
- Hunslet & Riverside
- Killingbeck & Seacroft
- Kippax & Methley
- Kirkstall
- Little London & Woodhouse
- Middleton Park
- Moortown
- Morley North
- Morley South
- Otley & Yeadon
- Pudsey
- Rothwell
- Roundhay
- Temple Newsam
- Weetwood
- Wetherby
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 Leeds
Leeds is part-parished: 37 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 11 unparished areas.
- Aberford
- Allerton Bywater
- Alwoodley
- Arthington
- Austhorpe
- Bardsey cum Rigton
- Barwick in Elmet and Scholes
- Boston Spa
- Bramham cum Oglethorpe
- Bramhope
- Carlton
- Clifford
- Collingham
- Drighlington
- East Keswick
- Gildersome
- Great and Little Preston
- Harewood
- Horsforth
- Kippax
- Ledsham
- Lotherton cum Aberford
- Micklefield
- Morley
- Otley
- Parlington
- Pool
- Rawdon
- Scarcroft
- Shadwell
- Sturton Grange
- Swillington
- Thorner
- Thorp Arch
- Walton
- Wetherby
- Wothersome
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 Leeds
Below is a list of post towns in Leeds, grouped by postcode area:
- LS ▸ Leeds (LS1 / LS2 / LS3 / LS4 / LS5 / LS6 / LS7 / LS8 / LS9 / LS10 / LS11 / LS12 / LS13 / LS14 / LS15 / LS16 / LS17 / LS18 / LS19 / LS20 / LS25 / LS26 / LS27 / LS88 / LS98 / LS99) ⁞ Otley (LS21) ⁞ Pudsey (LS28) ⁞ Wetherby (LS22 / LS23)
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 Leeds
Leeds covers 46 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aberford *
- Allerton Bywater
- Bardsey
- Barwick in Elmet
- Batley *
- Boston Spa
- Bradford *
- Bramham
- Bramhope
- Calverley
- Carlton (Leeds)
- Castleford *
- Collingham (Leeds)
- Dewsbury *
- Drighlington *
- East Ardsley *
- East Keswick
- Garforth
- Gildersome
- Guiseley *
- Harewood
- Kippax
- Kirkhamgate *
- Leeds
- Linton (Leeds)
- Lofthouse and Robin Hood *
- Menston *
- Methley
- Micklefield
- Mickletown
- Morley (Leeds)
- Otley (Leeds) *
- Pool-in-Wharfedale *
- Pudsey *
- Rawdon *
- Rothwell (Leeds)
- Scarcroft
- Scholes (Leeds)
- Shadwell
- Swillington
- Thorner
- Thorp Arch
- Thorpe on the Hill (Leeds)
- Wakefield *
- Wetherby *
- Yeadon *
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 Leeds.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Leeds
Leeds 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 Leeds Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Network Rail ▸ Leeds (LS1 4DY)
- Northern Trains ▸ Guiseley (LS20 8BX) ⁞ Horsforth (LS18 5NL) ⁞ New Pudsey (LS28 6QG) ⁞ Burley Park (LS6 1NA) ⁞ Garforth (LS25 1PY) ⁞ Cross Gates (LS15 8BX) ⁞ Headingley (LS5 3LD) ⁞ Kirkstall Forge (LS5 3NF) ⁞ Bramley (West Yorkshire) (LS13 4DU) ⁞ Morley (LS27 8JR) ⁞ Woodlesford (LS26 8RA) ⁞ Micklefield (LS25 4AQ) ⁞ East Garforth (LS25 2JW) ⁞ Weeton (LS17 0HL) ⁞ Cottingley (LS11 0JT)
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.
Leeds compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Leeds compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Leeds has 33 electoral wards.
Leeds has a population of 845,189 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Leeds
This chart shows the population trend for Leeds 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 Leeds can be found on the ONS statistics for Leeds.