Electoral Wards are the building blocks of UK administrative geography. Cumbria has 79 electoral wards (46 in Cumberland and 33 in Westmorland and Furness). Electoral Wards are also known as current ‘Statistical Wards’. The average ward size in England & Wales is approximately 7,800 people, but they tend to be smaller in Cumbria; the average ward size is 6,300 people in Cumbria (5,900 people in Cumberland and 6,900 people in Westmorland and Furness).

Many data sets are available for wards. Ward level data is useful when collating a range of indicators about a local area and for highlighting those areas within Cumbria where a particular set of conditions are being experienced.  However, care should be taken to ensure that data is robust enough at ward level. Another drawback of wards is that they are subject to frequent boundary changes which may mean that it is not possible to compare data over time (the most recent boundary changes in Cumbria took place in 2022). To view statistical profiles for Cumbria’s wards, please click on a theme from the list below and then select a ward from the ‘select an area’ drop down menu that will appear:

To view Cumbria’s ward boundaries, please visit the ‘Maps’ page below, then select ‘Layers’ and check the box to switch on ward boundaries: