Wigan
§ This page gives an overview of the Wigan 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 ⁞ Wigan lies between Manchester and Liverpool, with a heritage rooted in coal mining and canals. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through, with Wigan Pier immortalised in literature by George Orwell. The town centre includes shopping districts and cultural venues, while Haigh Woodland Park provides green escapes. Surrounding villages, reservoirs, and countryside form part of the district, and landmarks such as Pennington Flash attract birdwatchers and walkers. Wigan combines waterways, industry, and open landscapes.
Wigan Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Wigan 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 Wigan can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Wigan.
Key Facts about Wigan
What region is Wigan in? Wigan is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Wigan in? Wigan is located in the county of Greater Manchester.
Is Wigan a city? No, Wigan is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Wigan? The local government for this district is: Wigan Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Wigan Borough Council 🔗 wigan.gov.uk
Which police force covers Wigan? Policing in Wigan 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 Wigan
Wigan 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 Wigan
Wigan is divided into 25 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abram
- Ashton-in-Makerfield South
- Aspull, New Springs & Whelley
- Astley
- Atherton North
- Atherton South & Lilford
- Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North
- Douglas
- Golborne & Lowton West
- Hindley
- Hindley Green
- Ince
- Leigh Central & Higher Folds
- Leigh South
- Leigh West
- Lowton East
- Orrell
- Pemberton
- Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor
- Standish with Langtree
- Tyldesley & Mosley Common
- Wigan Central
- Wigan West
- Winstanley
- Worsley Mesnes
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 Wigan
Wigan is part-parished: 3 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 8 unparished areas.
- Haigh
- Shevington
- Worthington
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 Wigan
Below is a list of post towns in Wigan, grouped by postcode area:
- WN ▸ Leigh (WN7) ⁞ Wigan (WN1 / WN2 / WN3 / WN4 / WN5 / WN6 / WN8)
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 Wigan
Wigan covers 28 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Appley Bridge *
- Ashton-in-Makerfield *
- Aspull *
- Astley
- Atherton *
- Bamfurlong (Wigan)
- Bickershaw
- Billinge *
- Glazebury *
- Golborne *
- Higher Folds
- Hindley *
- Hunger Hill (West Lancashire) *
- Ince-in-Makerfield
- Land Gate
- Leigh (Wigan)
- Little Hulton *
- Orrell *
- Platt Bridge and Abram
- Shevington
- Shevington Moor *
- Standish
- Tyldesley
- Walkden *
- Westhoughton *
- Wigan
- Worsley *
- Worthington
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 Wigan.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Wigan
Wigan 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 Wigan Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Avanti West Coast ▸ Wigan North Western (WN1 1BJ)
- Northern Trains ▸ Wigan Wallgate (WN1 1BB) ⁞ Hindley (WN2 2QJ) ⁞ Atherton (M46 9RH) ⁞ Bryn (WN4 0AR) ⁞ Orrell (WN5 8TH) ⁞ Gathurst (WN5 0LW) ⁞ Hag Fold (M46 9WX) ⁞ Pemberton (WN5 9HX) ⁞ Ince (Manchester) (WN2 2DA)
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.
Wigan compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Wigan compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Wigan has 25 electoral wards.
Wigan has a population of 344,922 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Wigan
This chart shows the population trend for Wigan 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 Wigan can be found on the ONS statistics for Wigan.