List of towns and cities in England by population, defined as built-up areas and compiled by the Office for National Statistics after the 2021 UK Census,[1]
The 2021 census does not supply figures for London, Birmingham therefore has the highest population. Multiple larger towns, the largest town being Northampton, are larger than the majority of England's 55 cities.
Population range | BUA classed as[1] | Approximate settlement type |
---|---|---|
200,000+ | major | cities |
75,000-199,999 | large | large towns or smaller cities |
20,000-74,999 | medium | medium towns |
5,000-19,999 | small | larger village or small town |
0-4,999 | minor | hamlet or village |
The ONS classified all built-up areas over 200,000 as major. Most are cities[1] with some exceptional towns; Luton, Northampton and Reading) The West Midlands county has three cities over 200,000; Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.
# | Built-up area | County | 2021 Pop.[2] |
---|---|---|---|
2 | Birmingham | West Midlands | 1,121,375 |
3 | Leeds | West Yorkshire | 536,280 |
4 | Liverpool | Merseyside | 506,565 |
5 | Sheffield | South Yorkshire | 500,535 |
6 | Manchester | Greater Manchester | 470,405[a] |
7 | Bristol | Bristol | 425,215 |
8 | Leicester | Leicestershire | 406,580 |
9 | Coventry | West Midlands | 344,285 |
10 | Bradford | West Yorkshire | 333,950 |
11 | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 299,790 |
12 | Newcastle upon Tyne | Tyne and Wear | 286,445 |
13 | Brighton and Hove | East Sussex | 277,105[b] |
14 | Derby | Derbyshire | 275,575 |
15 | Kingston upon Hull | East Riding of Yorkshire | 270,810 |
16 | Plymouth | Devon | 266,955 |
17 | Milton Keynes[c] | Buckinghamshire | 197,340[c] |
18 | Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire | 260,560 |
19 | Southampton | Hampshire | 249,620 |
20 | Northampton | Northamptonshire | 243,520 |
21 | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 234,025 |
22 | Luton | Bedfordshire | 233,525 |
23 | Portsmouth | Hampshire | 223,305 |
24 | Reading | Berkshire | 203,795 |
25 | Norwich | Norfolk | 200,770 |
The ONS classified all built-up areas between 199,999 and 75,000 as large-sized, most are large towns or smaller cities.[1]
The ONS classified all built-up areas between 75,000 and 20,000 as medium-sized, most are moderate towns with some exceptional cities or villages.[1]
Hereford, Canterbury, Lancaster, Durham and Winchester have city status, all others are towns and Rochester formerly had city status.
Lichfield and Chichester have city status.
Truro officially has city status.