It is located in the western part of the borough, including some westernmost suburbs of the city; most of the land is rural.

[3] The ward includes parts of the western fringes of the greater conurbation of Sheffield, including: the Stannington and Middlewood suburbs of Sheffield, and the village suburbs of Loxley and Worrall, all located on the eastern fringes of the ward.

[3][4] The western part of the ward is moorland, including Howden and Bradfield moors, and contains no significant settlements.

[3][4] Stannington ward was also home to a council run branch library until this facility was withdrawn in 2014 by the local authority as a cost cutting measure.

[5] The replacement of this council run service by a volunteer-led facility has been controversial, with prominent library campaign group Voices For The Library highlighting major concerns around volunteers having responsibility for the "Books On Prescription" service and issues surrounding data protection.