Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England, 13 miles northwest of Birmingham. The population in 2021 …Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England, 13 miles northwest of Birmingham. The population in 2021 was 263,700. Historically in Staffordshire, the city grew as a market town specialising in the wool trade. In the Industrial Revolution, it became a major centre for coal mining, steel production, lock making, and automotive manufacturing. The economy of the city is still based on engineering, including a large aerospace industry, as well as the service sector.