List of non-metropolitan counties of England

See List of ceremonial counties of England by population for a list including metropolitan counties and unitary authorities.

This is a list of non-metropolitan counties of England by population.

It includes those non-metropolitan counties (also known as shire counties) with a two-tier county council structure and does not include metropolitan counties or unitary authorities.

In cases where a unitary authority has been detached from a shire county the population of the unitary authority is excluded. For example, Peterborough is excluded from the population figure for Cambridgeshire.

The figures are mid-year estimates for 2010 from the Office for National Statistics.

Rank County Population Area
(in km²)		 Density
(people/km²)
1 Kent 1,427,500 3,544 403
2 Essex 1,412,900 3,464 408
3 Hampshire 1,296,900 3,679 353
4 Lancashire 1,169,300 2,903 403
5 Surrey 1,127,300 1,663 678
6 Hertfordshire 1,107,600 1,643 674
7 Norfolk 862,400 5,371 161
8 Staffordshire 831,300 2,620 317
9 West Sussex 799,800 1,990 402
10 Nottinghamshire 779,800 2,085 374
11 Derbyshire 763,700 2,547 300
12 Devon 750,000 6,564 114
13 Suffolk 719,500 3,800 189
14 Lincolnshire 703,000 5,921 119
15 Northamptonshire 687,300 2,364 291
16 Leicestershire 648,700 2,083 311
17 Oxfordshire 648,700 2,605 249
18 Cambridgeshire 616,200 3,046 202
19 North Yorkshire 599,800 8,038 75
20 Gloucestershire 593,500 2,653 224
21 Worcestershire 557,400 1,741 320
22 Warwickshire 536,100 1,975 271
23 Somerset 525,200 3,451 152
24 East Sussex 515,600 1,709 302
25 Buckinghamshire 498,100 1,565 318
26 Cumbria 494,300 6,767 73
27 Dorset 404,700 2,542 159

References

"Table 8a Mid-2010 Population Estimates: Selected age groups for local authorities in the United Kingdom; estimated resident population.". Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2010. Office for National Statistics. 3 June 2011. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-231847. Retrieved 1 October 2011. 

"Standard Area Measurements - Local Authorities - Dec 2010 (SAM_LAD_DEC_2010_UK)". UK Standard Area Measurements (SAM). Office for National Statistics. 31 December 2010. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/products/other/uk-standard-area-measurements--sam-/index.html. Retrieved 1 October 2011.