England Counties 🏴
England Counties List 🏴 Ceremonial England Counties
Table of all 48 England counties in 2023, officially called “ceremonial England counties”, as defined in the 1997 Lieutenancies Act, which distinguishes them from local government administration areas. England’s counties are also known as “geographical England counties” because they include permanent natural boundaries and features. “England’s historic counties” evolved from tribal Britain into administrative areas during the Roman and Norman occupations.
- ADDucation’s list of England counties list was compiled by A C, last updated on .
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| England Counties 🏴 | England Regions | County Population | Pop. Rank | Area (km2) | Area (mi2) | Area Rank | Chapman Code[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire | East | 664,600 | 36th | 1,235 | 477 | 41st | BDF |
| Berkshire | South East | 905,800 | 24th | 1,262 | 487 | 40th | BRK |
| Bristol | South West | 463,405 | 43rd | 110 | 42 | 47th | –[5] |
| Buckinghamshire | South East | 803,400 | 30th | 1,874 | 724 | 32nd | BKM |
| Cambridgeshire | East | 847,200 | 28th | 3,390 | 1,310 | 15th | CAM |
| Cheshire | North West | 1,054,100 | 19th | 2,343 | 905 | 25th | CHS |
| City of London [3] | London | 7,700 | 48th | 2.9 | 1.12 | 48th | –[5] |
| Cornwall [2] | South West | 565,968 | 40th | 3,546 | 1,375 | 12th | CON |
| County Durham | North East | 862,600 | 26th | 2,721 | 1,033 | 19th | DUR |
| Cumbria | North West | 498,400 | 41st | 6,767 | 2,613 | 3rd | CMA |
| Derbyshire | East Midlands | 1,049,000 | 20th | 2,625 | 1,014 | 21st | DBY |
| Devon | South West | 1,185,500 | 11th | 6,707 | 2,590 | 4th | DEV |
| Dorset | South West | 770,700 | 31st | 2,653 | 1,024 | 20th | DOR |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | 598,700 | 37th | 2,479 | 956 | 23rd | ERY |
| East Sussex | South East | 840,400 | 29th | 1,791 | 692 | 33rd | SXE |
| Essex | East | 1,820,400 | 7th | 3,670 | 1,420 | 11th | ESS |
| Gloucestershire | South West | 907,200 | 23rd | 3,150 | 1,220 | 16th | GLS |
| Greater London [3] | London | 8,817,300 | 1st | 1,569 | 606 | 37th | –[5] |
| Greater Manchester [1] | North West | 2,798,800 | 3rd | 1,276 | 493 | 39th | GTM |
| Hampshire | South East | 1,837,800 | 5th | 3,769 | 1,455 | 9th | HAM |
| Herefordshire [6] | West Midlands | 191,000 | 45th | 2,180 | 840 | 26th | HEF |
| Hertfordshire | East | 1,180,900 | 13th | 1,643 | 634 | 36th | HRT |
| Isle of Wight | South East | 141,000 | 46th | 384 | 150 | 46th | IOW |
| Kent | South East | 1,832,300 | 6th | 3,738 | 1,443 | 10th | KEN |
| Lancashire | North West | 1,490,500 | 8th | 3,075 | 1,187 | 17th | LAN |
| Leicestershire | East Midlands | 1,043,800 | 21st | 2,156 | 832 | 28th | LEI |
| Lincolnshire | East Midlands | 1,082,300 | 18th | 6,975 | 2,693 | 2nd | LIN |
| Merseyside [1] | North West | 1,416,800 | 9th | 647 | 250 | 43rd | MSY |
| Norfolk | East | 898,400 | 25th | 5,380 | 2,080 | 5th | NFK |
| North Yorkshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,153,400 | 14th | 8,654 | 3,341 | 1st | NRY |
| Northamptonshire | East Midlands | 741,200 | 33rd | 2,364 | 913 | 24th | NTH |
| Northumberland | North East | 319,000 | 44th | 5,013 | 1,936 | 6th | NBL |
| Nottinghamshire | East Midlands | 1,147,100 | 15th | 2,159 | 834 | 27th | NTT |
| Oxfordshire | South East | 682,400 | 35th | 2,605 | 1,006 | 22nd | OXF |
| Rutland [6] | East Midlands | 39,500 | 47th | 382 | 147 | 45th | RUT |
| Shropshire | West Midlands | 493,200 | 42nd | 3,488 | 1,347 | 13th | SAL |
| Somerset | South West | 956,700 | 22nd | 4,170 | 1,610 | 7th | SOM |
| South Yorkshire [1] | Yorkshire and the Humber | 1,393,400 | 10th | 1,552 | 599 | 38th | STS |
| Staffordshire | West Midlands | 1,126,200 | 17th | 2,714 | 1,048 | 18th | STS |
| Suffolk | East | 757,000 | 32nd | 3,801 | 1,468 | 8th | SFK |
| Surrey | South East | 1,185,300 | 12th | 1,663 | 642 | 35th | SRY |
| Tyne and Wear [1] | North East | 1,129,500 | 16th | 540 | 210 | 44th | TWR |
| Warwickshire | West Midlands | 564,600 | 39th | 1,975 | 763 | 31st | WAR |
| West Midlands [1] | West Midlands | 2,897,300 | 2nd | 902 | 348 | 42nd | WMD |
| West Sussex | South East | 852,400 | 27th | 1,991 | 769 | 30th | SXW |
| West Yorkshire [1] | Yorkshire and the Humber | 2,307,000 | 4th | 2,029 | 783 | 29th | WYK |
| Wiltshire | South West | 716,400 | 34th | 3,485 | 1,346 | 14th | WIL |
| Worcestershire [6] | West Midlands | 588,400 | 38th | 1,741 | 672 | 34th | WOR |
See also: England Unitary Authorities…
Notes: [1] In 1974 six English metropolitan counties were created, which are also ceremonial English counties. [2] Cornwall includes the Isles of Scilly. [3] The City of London is an enclave within Greater London. [4] Chapman codes, created by Dr Colin R Chapman were used in genealogy to identify administrative divisions in the British Isles. [5] No specific Chapman code available. The City of London and Greater London could both be included in the Chapman code for London, i.e. (LDN). [6] These former disestablished counties were restored to ceremonial English county status in 1974.
Related ADDucation Lists
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- Help improve ADDucation’s list of interesting facts and figures about England counties by adding your comments below…
Re: Mary Richards question (below) about counties without a city you mention Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire as counties that do not have cities. In the 2022 list Milton Keynes has now been given city status and straddles the three counties quite awkwardly. Having lived there I recall still being within the bounds of the ever-spreading sprawl when signs welcomed you into the various counties, could you please clarify? Argh!
Hi Stewart, thanks for your comment, we agree it is very confusing and one of the reasons we made this list. Milton Keynes in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, so I’ve updated my earlier answer to Mary Richards
I really hate it when the 1974 admin boundary changes are confused with the real boundaries. Lancashire newspapers call Barnoldswick Earby etc as Lancashire when they are in Yorkshire. For example. Calling Slaidburn a beautiful Lancashire village, when it is part of the broad acres of Yorkshire. This makes my blood boil.
You say that Rutland was disestablished in 1965. Why is it still in your list?
Hi Wendy, well spotted. In 1974 Rutland, along with the former counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, were restored to England ceremonial county status. I’ve updated my reply to the earlier question, thanks for your comment.
Can you tell me which counties in England (as of today) do not have cities in them and what is the simple reason that they do not have cities
Hi Mary, good question. Following the 2022 new cities announcement there are now eleven counties in England with no cities: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Rutland, Shropshire, Suffolk, Surrey and Warwickshire.
Your lists should be part of the schools’ National Curriculum. Thank you. My question is impossible but – N Yorkshire – CC and 7 DCs – is moving to a Unitary Authority. Considering only its area, this looks ill-advised. Is there any data-based way of comparing counties’ governance structures ? Or is that a political-data question.
Hi Alison, thanks for your comments and questions. The three related lists about England certainly delayed lists for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They’re all a mix of history, politics and economnics maybe someone can help answer your questions.
Your Chapman code for the Isle of Man is wrong
Hi James, thanks for your comment, I’ve corrected the Isle of Wight to IOW (from IOM Isle of Man – which is not an English County so not included in this list).
Where is Cleveland or Teesside. We are not part of Durham or Newcastle
Hi Paula, Cleveland is a former county borough and county council. The former Cleveland districts are now part of the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority area, within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. I’ve updated the FAQ section with further details.
But what about Avon?
Hi Paul, Avon was formed in 1976 and disestablished in 1996. Avon was replaced by four English unitary authorities; the city of Bristol, and county of Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset. Avon, Rutland and over a dozen former England counties have been disestablished since 1965. Rutland was restored as a ceremonial county in 1974. Hereford and Worcester was split into the restored ceremonial counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Is there a list of counties by geographic size?
Our England Counties list includes the size by area in square miles and square kilometers. What measure of size are you interested in?
I don’t see the county of Somerset in this list?
Somerset is there. Type Somerset into the filter to display the table row.