Stafford
§ This page gives an overview of the Stafford 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 ⁞ Stafford, the county town of Staffordshire, lies on the River Sow, with a historic centre featuring Stafford Castle, ancient churches, and Victorian architecture. The town is surrounded by parks, riverside walks, and countryside. The wider district includes villages, farmland, and parts of Cannock Chase AONB, offering trails and scenic landscapes. Market towns and rural communities blend with the county town’s cultural and commercial character, creating a district that mixes heritage, rivers, and open countryside.
Stafford Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Stafford 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 Stafford can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Stafford.
Key Facts about Stafford
What region is Stafford in? Stafford is in the West Midlands of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Stafford in? Stafford is located in the county of Staffordshire.
Is Stafford a city? No, Stafford is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Stafford? The local authority for this district is: Stafford Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Staffordshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Staffordshire County Council.
▶ Official website of Stafford Borough Council 🔗 staffordbc.gov.uk
Which police force covers Stafford? Policing in Stafford is provided by Staffordshire Police 🔗 staffordshire.police.uk, which serves 9 local authority districts: Cannock Chase ⁞ East Staffordshire ⁞ Lichfield ⁞ Newcastle-under-Lyme ⁞ South Staffordshire ⁞ Stafford ⁞ Staffordshire Moorlands ⁞ Stoke-on-Trent ⁞ Tamworth.
Stafford in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Stafford is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, Shropshire and Staffordshire, that contains the following 4 ITLs Level 3 areas:
(ITL 1) West Midlands
(ITL 2) ⇒ Shropshire and Staffordshire
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Telford and Wrekin ⁞ Shropshire ⁞ Stoke-on-Trent ⁞ Staffordshire CC
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 Stafford
Stafford 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 Stafford
Stafford is divided into 23 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barlaston
- Baswich
- Common
- Coton
- Doxey & Castletown
- Eccleshall
- Forebridge
- Fulford
- Gnosall & Woodseaves
- Haywood & Hixon
- Highfields & Western Downs
- Holmcroft
- Littleworth
- Manor
- Milford
- Milwich
- Penkside
- Rowley
- Seighford & Church Eaton
- St Michael's & Stonefield
- Swynnerton & Oulton
- Walton
- Weeping Cross & Wildwood
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 Stafford
Stafford is part-parished: 40 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Adbaston
- Barlaston
- Berkswich
- Bradley
- Brocton
- Chebsey
- Church Eaton
- Colwich
- Creswell
- Doxey
- Eccleshall
- Ellenhall
- Forton
- Fradswell
- Fulford
- Gayton
- Gnosall
- Haughton
- High Offley
- Hilderstone
- Hixon
- Hopton and Coton
- Hyde Lea
- Ingestre
- Marston
- Milwich
- Norbury
- Ranton
- Salt and Enson
- Sandon and Burston
- Seighford
- Standon
- Stone
- Stone Rural
- Stowe-by-Chartley
- Swynnerton
- Tixall
- Weston
- Whitgreave
- Yarnfield and Cold Meece
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 Stafford
Below is a list of post towns in Stafford, grouped by postcode area:
- ST ▸ Stafford (ST16 / ST17 / ST18 / ST19 / ST20 / ST21) ⁞ Stone (ST15)
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 Stafford
Stafford covers 33 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barlaston
- Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook *
- Bradley (Stafford)
- Brocton
- Cold Norton (Stafford)
- Coldmeece
- Croxton
- Derrington
- Eccleshall
- Ellenhall
- Fulford
- Gnosall
- Great Bridgeford
- Great Haywood
- Haughton
- Hilderstone
- Hixon
- Hyde Lea and Coppenhall *
- Little Haywood
- Loggerheads *
- Milford (Stafford)
- Moreton (Stafford)
- Newcastle-under-Lyme *
- Oulton
- Rugeley *
- Stafford *
- Stoke-on-Trent *
- Stone (Stafford)
- Swynnerton
- Tittensor
- Weston (Stafford)
- Woodseaves
- Yarnfield
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 Stafford.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Stafford
Stafford 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 Stafford Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Avanti West Coast ▸ Stafford (ST16 2AA)
- East Midlands Railway ▸ Blythe Bridge (ST11 9JF)
- West Midlands Trains (West Midlands Railway) ▸ Stone (Staffs) (ST15 8ER)
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.
Stafford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Stafford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Stafford has 23 electoral wards.
Stafford has a population of 141,556 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Stafford
This chart shows the population trend for Stafford 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 Stafford can be found on the ONS statistics for Stafford.