This is alist of settlements in Lancashire by population based on the results of the2011 census. In 2011, there were 49built-up area subdivisions with 5,000 or more inhabitants inLancashire, shown in the table below.
A more recent United Kingdomcensus took place in2021, but as of March 2024[update], the subdivision data has not yet been published.
The "settlements" in this table are the "Built-up area subdivisions" used by theOffice for National Statistics in the2011 United Kingdom census. "Built-up areas" and their subdivisions were previously known as "Urban areas" and are defined as areas of built-up land of at least 20 hectares which are separated from other built-up areas by at least 200m. They were named algorithmically, based on the name of a city, town or other settlement found on Ordnance Survey mapping within the area.[1] These areas do not always coincide with current or former local authority boundaries or other definitions of settlements:Bamber Bridge Built-up area subdivision, for example, had a 2011 population of 67,497[2] while the three electoral wards of Bamber Bridge East, Bamber Bridge North, and Bamber Bridge West had populations of 4,896,[3] 4,665[4] and 4,384[5] respectively, totalling 13,945. Similarly, the town ofBlackpool has a slightly higher population than itsunitary authority, due to the urban subdivision including some small areas situated outside the district.
| # | Settlement District centre | District | Population[6][7][8][9] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2011 | |||
| 1 | Blackpool | Blackpool | 148,300 | 147,663 |
| 2 | Blackburn | Blackburn with Darwen | 108,690 | 117,963 |
| 3 | Preston | Preston | 87,510 | 97,886 |
| 4 | Burnley | Burnley | 84,112 | 81,548 |
| 5 | Bamber Bridge | South Ribble | 65,780 | 67,497 |
| 6 | Lancaster | Lancaster | 46,330 | 48,085 |
| 7 | Lytham St Annes | Fylde | 40,720 | 42,953 |
| 8 | Leyland | South Ribble | 37,150 | 38,805 |
| 9 | Chorley | Chorley | 33,430 | 36,183 |
| 10 | Fulwood | Preston | 36,296 | 35,830 |
| 11 | Accrington | Hyndburn | 35,200 | 35,456 |
| 12 | Skelmersdale | West Lancashire | 34,500 | 34,455 |
| 13 | Morecambe | Lancaster | 34,241 | 33,432 |
| 14 | Nelson | Pendle | 29,000 | 29,463 |
| 15 | Darwen | Blackburn with Darwen | 27,557 | 28,155 |
| 16 | Fleetwood | Wyre | 26,560 | 25,359 |
| 17 | Ormskirk | West Lancashire | 23,660 | 24,073 |
| 18 | Rawtenstall | Rossendale | 22,618 | 23,128 |
| 19 | Thornton | Wyre | 17,610 | 18,941 |
| 20 | Colne | Pendle | 18,946 | 18,806 |
| 21 | Poulton-le-Fylde | Wyre | 17,130 | 17,430 |
| 22 | Haslingden | Rossendale | 15,330 | 15,969 |
| 23 | Heysham | Lancaster | 14,630 | 15,633 |
| 24 | Clitheroe | Ribble Valley | 14,697 | 14,765 |
| 25 | Bacup | Rossendale | 12,760 | 13,323 |
| 26 | Kirkham | Fylde | 11,440 | 11,915 |
| 27 | Oswaldtwistle | Hyndburn | 12,193 | 11,803 |
| 28 | Great Harwood | Hyndburn | 11,217 | 10,800 |
| 29 | Cleveleys | Wyre | 10,722 | 10,754 |
| 30 | Barnoldswick | Pendle | 10,524 | 10,435 |
| 31 | Brierfield | Pendle | 10,047 | 9,559 |
| 32 | Adlington | Chorley | 8,450 | 9,211 |
| 33 | Longton | South Ribble | 8,460 | 8,800 |
| 34 | Burscough | West Lancashire | 8,286 | 8,799 |
| 35 | Tarleton | West Lancashire | 8,210 | 8,582 |
| 36 | Clayton-le-Moors | Hyndburn | 8,290 | 8,522 |
| 37 | Euxton | Chorley | 7,690 | 8,118 |
| 38 | Freckleton /Warton | Fylde | 8,123 | 8,049 |
| 39 | Coppull | Chorley | 7,637 | 7,959 |
| 40 | Longridge | Ribble Valley | 7,491 | 7,526 |
| 41 | Whitworth | Rossendale | 7,263 | 7,500 |
| 42 | Bolton-le-Sands | Lancaster | 7,010 | 6,995 |
| 43 | Garstang | Wyre | 6,290 | 6,779 |
| 44 | Rishton | Hyndburn | 7,350 | 6,625 |
| 45 | Carnforth | Lancaster | 5,872 | 6,115 |
| 46 | Barrowford | Pendle | 5,261 | 5,521 |
| 47 | Preesall | Wyre | 5,050 | 5,367 |
| 48 | Church | Hyndburn | 4,881 | 5,186 |
| 49 | Lancaster University | Lancaster | 4,160 | 5,110 |
The settlements in current Lancashire
The settlements in Lancashire that are now in the Council Area ofGreater Manchester
The settlements in Lancashire that are now in the Council Area ofMerseyside
The settlements in Lancashire that are now in the Council Area ofCumbria
The settlements in Lancashire that are now in the Council Area ofCheshireHistorically, the county of Lancashire covered a much wider area before boundary changes were introduced in 1974. Some towns which formerly belonged to the county still strongly identify with it. Notable examples areBolton,Bury,Heywood,Horwich,Leigh,Southport,St. Helens andWigan, and as well as cities such asManchester,Liverpool andSalford.
