Sunderland
§ This page gives an overview of the Sunderland 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 ⁞ Sunderland sits on the River Wear as it flows into the North Sea, with a history shaped by shipbuilding and glassmaking. Its coastline features long sandy beaches at Roker and Seaburn, while Penshaw Monument overlooks the city and countryside from its hilltop setting. The city centre offers cultural landmarks such as the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, the Empire Theatre, and modern attractions like the Stadium of Light. The River Wear runs through scenic gorges and is crossed by striking bridges, while surrounding countryside and coastlines add variety to Sunderland’s geography.
Sunderland Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Sunderland 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 Sunderland can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Sunderland.
Key Facts about Sunderland
What region is Sunderland in? Sunderland is in the North East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Sunderland in? Sunderland is located in the county of Tyne and Wear.
Is Sunderland a city? Yes, Sunderland is a city. Sunderland holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Sunderland? The local government for this district is: Sunderland City Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Sunderland City Council 🔗 sunderland.gov.uk
Which police force covers Sunderland? Policing in Sunderland is provided by Northumbria Police 🔗 northumbria.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Gateshead ⁞ Newcastle upon Tyne ⁞ North Tyneside ⁞ Northumberland ⁞ South Tyneside ⁞ Sunderland.
Sunderland in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Sunderland is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) North East
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Sunderland
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 Sunderland
Sunderland 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 Sunderland
Sunderland is divided into 25 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barnes
- Castle
- Copt Hill
- Doxford
- Fulwell
- Hendon
- Hetton
- Houghton
- Millfield
- Pallion
- Redhill
- Ryhope
- Sandhill
- Shiney Row
- Silksworth
- Southwick
- St Anne's
- St Chad's
- St Michael's
- St Peter's
- Washington Central
- Washington East
- Washington North
- Washington South
- Washington West
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 Sunderland
Sunderland is part-parished: 3 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 4 unparished areas.
- Burdon
- Hetton
- Warden Law
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 Sunderland
Below is a list of post towns in Sunderland, grouped by postcode area:
- DH ▸ Houghton le Spring (DH4 / DH5)
- NE ▸ Washington (NE37 / NE38)
- SR ▸ Sunderland (SR1 / SR2 / SR3 / SR4 / SR5 / SR6 / SR9)
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 Sunderland
Sunderland covers 17 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Birtley *
- Easington Lane
- East Rainton
- Fence Houses *
- Follingsby *
- Gateshead *
- Hetton-le-Hole
- Houghton-le-Spring
- Penshaw
- Shiney Row and Penshaw
- South Bents *
- South Hetton *
- Springwell *
- Sunderland *
- Washington *
- West Rainton *
- Whitburn (South Tyneside) *
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 Sunderland.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Sunderland
Sunderland 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 Sunderland Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
Northern Trains ▸ Sunderland (SR1 3HP)
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.
Sunderland compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Sunderland compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Sunderland has 25 electoral wards.
Sunderland has a population of 288,606 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Sunderland
This chart shows the population trend for Sunderland 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 Sunderland can be found on the ONS statistics for Sunderland.