West Midlands

The West Midlands is a diverse region at the heart of England, known for its manufacturing, automotive industry, and rich cultural heritage. It includes major urban centres like Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton, as well as historic market towns and scenic areas such as the Malvern Hills and Shropshire Hills.

The region includes the metropolitan county of West Midlands, containing several large cities governed by metropolitan boroughs, as well as rural counties like Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire, which use two-tier or unitary local government structures.

Ceremonial Counties in West Midlands region

The West Midlands consists of 6 ceremonial counties: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, and Worcestershire. The economy spans advanced manufacturing, education, logistics, and tourism.

There are 48 Ceremonial Counties in England. The above lists 6 Ceremonial Counties in West Midlands region.

Districts in West Midlands

The UK is divided into Local Authority Districts (LADs) as the main building blocks of local government and statistical geography. The following lists all the LADs in this region.

Local Authority District (LAD) is a statistical geography used by the ONS to describe areas governed by local authorities. LADs include: Non-metropolitan districts (often called district councils); Metropolitan districts; London boroughs; Unitary authorities; Council areas in Scotland; Local government districts in Northern Ireland. In total, there are around 360+ LADs across the UK.

International Territorial Levels in West Midlands Region

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) are a hierarchical system of geographic boundaries used for statistical purposes in the UK, specifically for regional data analysis and international comparisons. It has three levels: ITL1, ITL2, and ITL3, with ITL1 being the broadest level and ITL3 the most detailed.

West Midlands Region is one of ITL 1 areas in the UK. It is then divided ino the following ITL 2 areas (names in bold letters) and ITL 3 areas.

  • Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire — Herefordshire, County of ⁞ Worcestershire CC ⁞ Warwickshire CC
  • Shropshire and Staffordshire — Telford and Wrekin ⁞ Shropshire ⁞ Stoke-on-Trent ⁞ Staffordshire CC
  • West Midlands — Birmingham ⁞ Solihull ⁞ Coventry ⁞ Dudley ⁞ Sandwell ⁞ Walsall ⁞ Wolverhampton
In the UK in total there are: 12 ITLs 1, 46 ITLs 2, and 182 ITLs 3. Our information about ITLs hierarchy and names is based on this ONS website: International geographies - Office for National Statistics.

Constituencies in West Midlands

There are 59 parliamentary constituencies in the West Midlands, ranging from urban seats in Birmingham and Coventry to rural areas in Shropshire and Herefordshire. Political debates often focus on infrastructure, jobs, and regional investment.

There are 650 constituencies in the United Kingdom. These constituencies are the areas each represented by one Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons.

Population of The West Midlands

The West Midlands is home to just over 6 million people (mid-2022, ONS). Covering 12,998 square kilometres (5,019 square miles), the region has a population density of 463 people per square kilometre.

The West Midlands Population Compared to UK Regions' Figures
The West Midlands Population Compared to other UK Regions

How it compares to the rest of England

  • Population share: The West Midlands makes up 10.5% of England’s 57.1 million residents, ranking 5th out of 9 regions by population size.
  • Population density: With 463 people per km², the region is slightly more crowded than the national average of 438 people per km²—25 more people per km²—placing it 4th out of 9 regions for density.

Region detail pages