This is a list of settlements in West Midlands by population based on the results of the 2021 census. The next United Kingdom census will take place in 2031. In 2011, there were 29 built-up area subdivisions with 5,000 or more inhabitants in the West Midlands, shown in the table below.
Table taken from the West Midlands County - Geography subsection:
| Metropolitan borough | Administrative centre | Included towns and areas | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Wolverhampton |  | Wolverhampton | Bilston, Blakenhall, Bushbury, Oxley, Wednesfield |
| 2 | Dudley |  | Dudley | Brierley Hill, Cradley, Halesowen, Kingswinford, Lye, Netherton, Stourbridge, Quarry Bank |
| 3 | Walsall |  | Walsall | Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Darlaston, Pelsall, Pheasey, Shelfield, Willenhall |
| 4 | Sandwell |  | Oldbury | Bearwood, Rowley Regis, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Smethwick, Tipton, Tividale, Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Yew Tree |
| 5 | City of Birmingham |  | Birmingham | Edgbaston, Great Barr, Hall Green, Handsworth, Northfield, Quinton, Soho, Sutton Coldfield |
| 6 | Solihull |  | Solihull | Balsall Common, Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Dorridge, Elmdon, Hampton-in-Arden, Kingshurst, Knowle, Marston Green, Meriden, Monkspath, Hockley Heath |
| 7 | City of Coventry |  | Coventry | Allesley, Binley, Keresley, Stoke, Tile Hill |
Table has been taken from the West Midlands Conurbation article and missing county areas added
| Rank | Settlement | Population (2021) [1] | Population (2011) [2] | Notes on significant changes between 2001 and 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 1,121,375 | 1,085,810 | Gained Quinton from Oldbury-Smethwick USD. Gained Minworth from Sutton Coldfield USD. |
| 2 | Coventry | 344,285 | 325,949 | Excludes Binley Wood and Bedworth |
| 3 | Wolverhampton | 234,025 | 210,319 | Bilston and Wednesfield removed from 2001. The three BUASDs combined total 265,178. Essington removed and placed within Willenhall BUASD. |
| 4 | Solihull | 107,735 | 123,187 | Gained Shelly Green and Knowle-Bentley Heath from 2001. |
| 5 | West Bromwich | 103,110 | 72,945 | Wednesbury and Tipton removed from 2001. Town split in two by Sandwell Valley and the two parts are now considered separately. The four BUASDs combined total 153,366. Gained Yew Tree from 2001. |
| 6 | Sutton Coldfield | 93,375 | 109,015 | |
| 7 | Walsall | 70,775 | 67,594 | Willenhall, Darlaston and Bloxwich removed from 2001. The four BUASDs combined total 185,114. |
| 8 | Dudley | 64,270 | 79,379 | Coseley, Kingswinford, Brierley Hill and Sedgley removed from 2011. The five BUASDs combined total 215,693. Gained Cradley Heath and Quarry Bank from Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 9 | Halesowen | 60,110 | 58,135 | |
| 10 | Stourbridge | 56,950 | 63,298 | Gained Hagley from 2001. |
| 11 | Smethwick | 56,340 | 48,765 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 12 | Kingswinford | 51,910 | 50,801 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 13 | Bloxwich | 51,875 | 47,288 | New in 2011. Previously part of Walsall USD. |
| 14 | Willenhall | 49,580 | 51,429 | New in 2011. Previously part of Walsall USD, but also gained Essington from Wolverhampton USD. |
| 15 | Tipton | 47,200 | 42,407 | New in 2011. Previously part of West Bromwich USD. |
| 16 | Oldbury | 45,180 | 23,964 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 17 | Rowley Regis | 39,050 | 34,260 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
| 18 | Bilston | 34,640 | 29,556 | New in 2011. Previously part of Wolverhampton USD. |
| 19 | Brierley Hill | 32,305 | 31,430 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 20 | Sedgley | 31,990 | 30,979 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 21 | Wednesfield | - | 25,303 | New in 2011. Previously part of Wolverhampton USD |
| 22 | Coseley | 25,205 | 23,104 | New in 2011. Previously part of Dudley USD. |
| 23 | Darlaston | 21,540 | 18,803 | New in 2011. Previously part of Walsall USD. |
| 24 | Brownhills | 21,240 | 20,373 | |
| 25 | Wednesbury | 20,315 | 19,029 | New in 2011. Previously part of West Bromwich USD. |
| 26 | West Bromwich East | - | 18,985 | New in 2011. Previously part of West Bromwich USD. |
| 27 | Aldridge | 15,835 | 39,463 | Gained Rushall, Shelfield and Pelsall from 2001. |
| 28 | Balsall Common | 7,095 | 7,039 | |
| 29 | Blackheath | 6,950 | 6,518 | New in 2011. Previously part of Oldbury-Smethwick USD. |
The demography of England has since 1801 been measured by the decennial national census, and is marked by centuries of population growth and urbanization. Due to the lack of authoritative contemporary sources, estimates of the population of England for dates prior to the first census in 1801 vary considerably. The population of England at the 2021 census was about 56,489,800.
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council defines the borough as the six amalgamated towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. Rowley Regis includes the towns of Blackheath and Cradley Heath.
The West Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of International Territorial Level for statistical purposes. It covers the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. The region consists of the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. The region has seven cities; Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton and Worcester.
The West Midlands conurbation is the large conurbation in the West Midlands region of England. The area consists of two cities and numerous towns: to the east, the city of Birmingham, along with adjacent towns of Solihull and Sutton Coldfield; and to the west, the city of Wolverhampton and the area called the Black Country, containing the towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Oldbury, Willenhall, Bilston, Darlaston, Tipton, Smethwick, Wednesbury, Rowley Regis, Stourbridge and Halesowen.
The Nottingham Built-up Area (BUA), Nottingham Urban Area, or Greater Nottingham is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics as which is built upon, with nearby areas linked if within 200 metres. It consists of the city of Nottingham and the adjoining urban areas of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, in the East Midlands of England. It had a total population of 729,977 at the time of the 2011 census. This was an increase of almost 10% since the 2001 census recorded population of 666,358, due to population increases, reductions and several new sub-divisions.
The Greater Manchester Built-up Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), consisting of the large conurbation that encompasses the urban element of the city of Manchester and the metropolitan area that forms much of Greater Manchester in North West England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, the Greater Manchester Built-up Area has a population of 2,553,379 making it the second most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom after the Greater London Built-up Area. This was an increase of 14% from the population recorded at the United Kingdom Census 2001 of 2,240,230, when it was known as the Greater Manchester Urban Area.
The West Yorkshire Built-up Area, previously known as the West Yorkshire Urban Area, is a term used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to refer to a conurbation in West Yorkshire, England, based on the cities of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, and the large towns of Huddersfield and Halifax. It is the 4th largest urban area in the United Kingdom. However, it excludes other towns and villages such as Featherstone, Normanton, Castleford, Pontefract, Hemsworth, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Knottingley, Wetherby and Garforth which, though part of the county of West Yorkshire, are considered independently. There are substantial areas of agricultural land within the designated area – more than in any other official urban area in England – many of the towns and cities are only just connected with one another by narrow outlying strips of development.
Farnborough/Aldershot built-up area and Aldershot Urban Area are names used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to refer to a conurbation spanning the borders of Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire in England. The ONS found a population of 252,937 in 2011. This makes it the 29th-largest built-up area in England.
The Liverpool Built-up Area is a term used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to denote the urban area around Liverpool in England, to the east of the River Mersey. The contiguous built-up area extends beyond the area administered by Liverpool City Council into adjoining local authority areas, particularly parts of Sefton and Knowsley. As defined by ONS, the area extends as far east as St Helens, Haydock, and Ashton-in-Makerfield in Greater Manchester.
The Leicester Urban Area or Leicester Built Up Area is an urban agglomeration defined by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), centred on the City of Leicester in the East Midlands, England. With a population of 559,017 at the time of the 2021 census, increased from 508,916 at the time of the 2011 census, the Built Up Area is the eleventh largest in England and thirteenth largest in the United Kingdom. It comprises Leicester itself and its suburbs, all of which are contiguous with or situated in close proximity to the city.
The Wigan Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the built-up, or 'urbanised' area containing Wigan in Greater Manchester and Skelmersdale in West Lancashire.
The Coventry/Bedworth Urban Area or Coventry Built-up area as defined by the Office for National Statistics had a population of 359,252 at the 2011 census, which made it the 16th largest conurbation in England and Wales by population. It is also one of the most densely populated. In the 2021 census the population of the urban area was recorded at 389,603.
The Swansea Urban Area or Swansea Built-up Area is an area of land in south Wales, defined by the Office for National Statistics for population monitoring purposes. It is an urban conurbation and is not coterminous with the City and County of Swansea. It consists of the urban area centred on Swansea city centre; the Swansea Valley including Clydach, Ystradgynlais and Pontardawe; and includes Neath and Port Talbot which are outside the county boundaries, but excludes the urban area of Gorseinon within the county boundaries.
The Wrexham Built-up area is an area of land defined by the United Kingdom Office for National Statistics (ONS) for population monitoring purposes. It is an urban conurbation fully within Wrexham County Borough and consists of the urban area centred on the city of Wrexham. Until the 2021 census, it also included the historically industrial settlements to the west including Gwersyllt, Rhostyllen, Brymbo, Bradley and New Broughton.
