Yorkshire and the Humber

§ This page provides an overview of UK's Yorkshire and the Humber region, with key facts and data. Last updated on .

Overview ⁞ Yorkshire and the Humber is a diverse region in northern England, renowned for its mix of thriving cities, historic towns, and world-famous landscapes. It is home to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the North York Moors, and parts of the Peak District, making it a top destination for walking, cycling, and rural tourism. The region’s strong cultural identity is shaped by its industrial heritage in steelmaking, coal mining, textiles, and engineering, as well as its rich history and distinctive Yorkshire dialects.

The region combines metropolitan hubs and rural areas. West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire include major urban centres such as Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, and Wakefield, governed by metropolitan borough councils. North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, which includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, are largely rural and operate under unitary or county councils. Governance blends traditional county boundaries with modern administrative structures, reflecting the different needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Ceremonial Counties in Yorkshire and the Humber region

Yorkshire and the Humber is made up of four ceremonial counties: West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. Each offers a unique character — from the industrial and commercial hubs of Leeds and Sheffield, to the agricultural heartlands of the Vale of York, and the seaside resorts of Scarborough, Bridlington, and Whitby.

There are 48 Ceremonial Counties in England. The above lists 4 Ceremonial Counties in Yorkshire and the Humber region. We have this page featuring all counties in the UK.

Districts in Yorkshire and the Humber

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.

A Local Authority District (LAD) is a statistical geography used by the Office for National Statistics (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, and local government districts in Northern Ireland. In total, there are 361 Local Authority Districts across the UK. A full nationwide list is available in the List of all Local Authority Districts in the UK.

Cities in Yorkshire and the Humber

Yorkshire and the Humber is home to several officially designated cities, each holding city status by royal charter rather than population size alone. Below is a complete list of cities in the region, including their local authorities, administrative geography, ceremonial honours, and the year city status was granted.

Ripon parish

Local authority
North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
City council (status holder)
Ripon parish (Civil parish)
Ceremonial county
North Yorkshire
Civic honour
No additional civic honour
City status granted
1865

City of Wakefield

Local authority
Wakefield (Metropolitan borough)
Ceremonial county
West Yorkshire
Civic honour
No additional civic honour
City status granted
1888

City of Leeds

Local authority
Leeds (Metropolitan borough)
Ceremonial county
West Yorkshire
Civic honour
Lord Mayor
City status granted
1893

City of Sheffield

Local authority
Sheffield (Metropolitan borough)
Ceremonial county
South Yorkshire
Civic honour
Lord Mayor
City status granted
1893

City of Bradford

Local authority
Bradford (Metropolitan borough)
Ceremonial county
West Yorkshire
Civic honour
Lord Mayor
City status granted
1897

City of Kingston upon Hull

Local authority
Kingston upon Hull, City of (Unitary authority)
Ceremonial county
East Riding of Yorkshire
Civic honour
Lord Mayor
City status granted
1897

City of York

Local authority
York (Unitary authority)
Ceremonial county
North Yorkshire
Civic honour
Lord Mayor
City status granted
1996

City of Doncaster

Local authority
Doncaster (Metropolitan borough)
Ceremonial county
South Yorkshire
Civic honour
No additional civic honour
City status granted
2022
For a deeper understanding of UK city status and all 76 officially designated cities, explore our in-depth guide Understanding UK Cities and Civic Honours, which explains how city status works alongside each city’s administrative and ceremonial background.

Post Towns in Yorkshire and the Humber

Below is a complete list of post towns in Yorkshire and the Humber, grouped by postcode area to make browsing easier.

  • DN ▸ Barnetby ⁞ Barrow-upon-Humber ⁞ Barton-upon-Humber ⁞ Brigg ⁞ Cleethorpes ⁞ Doncaster ⁞ Gainsborough ⁞ Goole ⁞ Grimsby ⁞ Immingham ⁞ Retford ⁞ Scunthorpe ⁞ Ulceby
  • HD ▸ Brighouse ⁞ Holmfirth ⁞ Huddersfield
  • HG ▸ Harrogate ⁞ Knaresborough ⁞ Ripon
  • HU ▸ Beverley ⁞ Brough ⁞ Cottingham ⁞ Hessle ⁞ Hornsea ⁞ Hull ⁞ North Ferriby ⁞ Withernsea
  • HX ▸ Elland ⁞ Halifax ⁞ Hebden Bridge ⁞ Sowerby Bridge
  • LS ▸ Ilkley ⁞ Leeds ⁞ Otley ⁞ Pudsey ⁞ Tadcaster ⁞ Wetherby
  • S ▸ Barnsley ⁞ Chesterfield ⁞ Dronfield ⁞ Hope Valley ⁞ Mexborough ⁞ Rotherham ⁞ Sheffield ⁞ Worksop
  • WF ▸ Batley ⁞ Castleford ⁞ Dewsbury ⁞ Heckmondwike ⁞ Knottingley ⁞ Liversedge ⁞ Mirfield ⁞ Normanton ⁞ Ossett ⁞ Pontefract ⁞ Wakefield
  • YO ▸ Bridlington ⁞ Driffield ⁞ Filey ⁞ Malton ⁞ Pickering ⁞ Scarborough ⁞ Selby ⁞ Thirsk ⁞ Whitby ⁞ York
Post towns are a key part of the UK postcode system and are used to organise mail delivery. They are not administrative areas and do not define council boundaries. Some post towns are very large and broadly align with major urban areas, while many others are smaller towns that sit within a single Local Authority District. In some cases, a post town may also span more than one Local Authority District. This difference in purpose and scale is why the UK has far more post towns (around 1,500) than local authority districts (361). For a nationwide overview, including postcode coverage for each post town, see the UK Post Towns Directory.

International Territorial Levels in Yorkshire and the Humber Region

The International Territorial Levels (ITLs) are a hierarchical system of geographic boundaries used for statistical purposes, 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.

Yorkshire and the Humber 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.

  • East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire — Kingston upon Hull, City of ⁞ East Riding of Yorkshire ⁞ North and North East Lincolnshire
  • North Yorkshire — York ⁞ North Yorkshire
  • South Yorkshire — Sheffield ⁞ Barnsley ⁞ Rotherham ⁞ Doncaster
  • West Yorkshire — Bradford ⁞ Leeds ⁞ Calderdale and Kirklees ⁞ Wakefield
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. We also have this web page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.

Constituencies in Yorkshire and the Humber

The region contains 54 parliamentary constituencies, covering a wide spectrum from densely populated city seats to expansive rural constituencies. Urban constituencies in Leeds, Sheffield, and Hull contrast with sparsely populated areas in North Yorkshire. This mix of industrial, commercial, agricultural, and tourism-based communities makes Yorkshire and the Humber politically significant in both general and local elections.

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. We have this list page for easy browsing: UK parliamentary constituencies.

Population of Yorkshire and the Humber

Yorkshire and the Humber is home to around 5.54 million people (mid-2022, ONS). Covering 15,405 square kilometres (5,948 square miles), the region has a population density of 360 people per square kilometre.

Yorkshire and the Humber Population Compared to UK Regions' Figures
Yorkshire and the Humber Population Compared to other UK Regions

How it compares to the rest of England

  • Population share: The region accounts for 9.7% of England’s total 57.1 million residents, ranking 7th out of 9 regions by population size.
  • Population density: With 360 people per km², Yorkshire and the Humber is less crowded than the national average of 438 people per km²—78 fewer people per km²—placing it 5th out of 9 regions for density.

Region detail pages