Switzerland · Canton BE · Administrative district
Verwaltungskreis Emmental
BernVerwaltungskreis Emmental is one of 10 districts of the canton of Bern and comprises 39 municipalities with 100'490 residents in all (BFS, 2025). A district is an administrative unit of the canton — a court and administrative area, not a postal delivery area: postal codes and localities follow delivery routes and can cross district borders.
Residents
100'490
sum of its municipalities
Municipalities
39
Switzerland
Area
690 km²
swisstopo
Density
146 /km²
sum of its municipalities
BFS district number
245
BFS
Relief © swisstopo · TINITALY · geoland.at · LGL · IGN · swissTLM3D · swissTLMRegio
Burgdorf
17'577Residents
Langnau im Emmental
9'645Residents
Kirchberg
5'918Residents
Sumiswald
5'234Residents
Utzenstorf
4'504Residents
Lützelflüh
4'406Residents
Hasle bei Burgdorf
3'414Residents
Bätterkinden
3'413Residents
Rüegsau
3'278Residents
Oberburg
2'972Residents
Hindelbank
2'805Residents
Lauperswil
2'728Residents
Signau
2'684Residents
Rüdtligen-Alchenflüh
2'479Residents
Eggiwil
2'438Residents
Rüderswil
2'394Residents
Krauchthal
2'363Residents
Koppigen
2'260Residents
Wynigen
2'101Residents
Ersigen
2'004Residents
Heimiswil
1'619Residents
Trubschachen
1'536Residents
Lyssach
1'491Residents
Trub
1'277Residents
Affoltern im Emmental
1'224Residents
Röthenbach im Emmental
1'221Residents
Aefligen
1'154Residents
Dürrenroth
1'075Residents
Wiler bei Utzenstorf
1'036Residents
Trachselwald
927Residents
Schangnau
919Residents
Alchenstorf
630Residents
Kernenried
516Residents
Zielebach
332Residents
Höchstetten
258Residents
Hellsau
206Residents
Willadingen
198Residents
Rüti bei Lyssach
155Residents
Rumendingen
99Residents
Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026
Votes in Verwaltungskreis Emmental
district results as published by BFS27.09.2026Popular Initiative 'For food security – through increased sustainable domestic production, more plant-based food and clean drinking water (Food Initiative)'Federal● Rejected · 27.5% Yes
21.9% YesNo 78.1%
27.09.2026Popular Initiative 'Safeguard Swiss neutrality (Neutrality Initiative)'Federal● Rejected · 29.8% Yes
31.8% YesNo 68.3%
27.09.2026Volksinitiative «Berner Bildungsinitiative»Cantonal BE● Rejected · 40.1% Yes
35.2% YesNo 64.8%
14.06.2026Popular initiative: 'No to Switzerland of 10 million! (Sustainability Initiative)'Federal● Rejected · 45.2% Yes
55.4% YesNo 44.6%
14.06.2026Projektierungskredit für das Kunstmuseum Bern (Sanierung und Ersatzneubau)Cantonal BE● Rejected · 48.2% Yes
37.8% YesNo 62.3%
08.03.2026Popular Initiative ‘For a fair energy and climate policy: Investing for prosperity, jobs and the environment (Climate Fund Initiative)’Federal● Rejected · 29.3% Yes
23.2% YesNo 76.9%
08.03.2026Popular Initiative ‘200 francs is enough! (SBC Initiative)’Federal● Rejected · 38.1% Yes
40.4% YesNo 59.6%
08.03.2026Cash Initiative and Counter-Proposal: Deciding QuestionFederal● Rejected · 37.4% Yes
39.1% YesNo 61.0%
Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026
Politics
National Council election 2023 · sum of its municipalitiesSVP41.0% · strongest party
SVP41.0%
SP15.1%
Mitte10.3%
GLP7.8%
GRÜNE7.2%
FDP5.6%
EVP4.8%
EDU4.8%
Übrige3.0%
SD0.4%
Tax rate in the district
ESTV 2026Rumendingen
100 %
median of its municipalities
179 %
Schangnau
210 %
A district has no tax rate of its own. Rates range from 100 % % in Rumendingen to 210 % % in Schangnau (median 179 % %).
Tax burden (single, CHF 100,000): 14.6 % in Rumendingen to 18.2 % in Schangnau (ESTV 2'026)
Housing
BFSVacancy rate
1.07 %
Dwellings
51'148
Avg. rooms
3.9
Built before 1946
38.0%
Vacancy rate: published by BFS for the district (2025) · Dwellings: sum of its municipalities (2024)
Population change
BFS · 2025 · sum of its municipalitiesPopulation change 2025
+457 +0.5%
births
780
deaths
968
net migration
+614
BEVNAT (Statistik der natürlichen Bevölkerungsbewegung) 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026
Economy
BFS · 2024 · sum of its municipalitiesJobs
52'981
Workplaces
7'817
Services share
60.8 %
Jobs by sector: Primary 5'805 (11.0%) · Secondary 14'941 (28.2%) · Tertiary 32'198 (60.8%)
STATENT (Statistik der Unternehmensstruktur) 2024 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026
Agriculture
BFS · 2025 · sum of its municipalitiesFarms
1'969
Organic share
17.4 %
Farmland
35'915 ha
Landwirtschaftliche Strukturerhebung 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 19.09.2026
Climate · Terrain
MeteoSchweiz · swisstopoAnnual mean temperature
8 °C
Precipitation
1'328 mm
Elevation
450–2'173 m
Flat share
24.6%
Climate: area-weighted over its municipalities · Terrain: swissALTIRegio 40 m, zonal over the district polygon
Energy · Accessibility
BFE · ElCom · ARESolar potential
1'152 GWh
Electricity
26.6 Rp./kWh
Public transport to centre
57 min
Road to centre
36 min
Solar potential: sum of its municipalities · Electricity: median of its municipalities (24.091–34.959 Rp./kWh, 2027). ElCom publishes a median per municipality; the district value is our median of those. · Accessibility: median of its municipalities
Where the municipalities of Verwaltungskreis Emmental rank
sum of its municipalities3309Kernenried×23314Schalunen×23315Bätterkinden3324Hindelbank3325Hettiswil b. Hindelbank3326Krauchthal×23400Burgdorf3412Heimiswil3413Kaltacker3414Oberburg3415Hasle b. Burgdorf +1×23416Affoltern im Emmental3417Rüegsau3418Rüegsbach3419Biembach im Emmental3421Lyssach +13422Alchenflüh +23423Ersigen3424Niederösch3425Koppigen +13426Aefligen3427Utzenstorf3428Wiler b. Utzenstorf3429Hellsau +13432Lützelflüh-Goldbach3433Schwanden im Emmental3434Landiswil +1×23435Ramsei3436Zollbrück3437Rüderswil3438Lauperswil3439Ranflüh3452Grünenmatt3453Heimisbach3454Sumiswald3455Grünen3456Trachselwald3457Wasen im Emmental×23462Weier im Emmental3463Häusernmoos im Emmental×23464Schmidigen-Mühleweg×23465Dürrenroth3472Rumendingen +13473Alchenstorf3474Rüedisbach×23513Bigenthal×23533Bowil×23534Signau×23535Schüpbach3536Aeschau3537Eggiwil3538Röthenbach im Emmental×23543Emmenmatt3550Langnau im Emmental3551Oberfrittenbach3552Bärau3553Gohl3555Trubschachen×23556Trub3557Fankhaus (Trub)3615Heimenschwand×33618Süderen×24564Zielebach×24573Lohn-Ammannsegg×24942Walterswil BE×24952Eriswil×34954Wyssachen×26197Schangnau×4
22 of these postal codes reach across the district border.
AefligenAeschauAffoltern im EmmentalAlchenflühAlchenstorfBärauBätterkindenBiembach im EmmentalBigenthalBowilBurgdorfDürrenrothEggiwilEmmenmattEriswilErsigenFankhaus (Trub)GohlGrünenGrünenmattHasle b. BurgdorfHäusernmoos im EmmentalHeimenschwandHeimisbachHeimiswilHellsauHettiswil b. HindelbankHindelbankHöchstettenKaltackerKernenriedKirchberg BEKoppigenKräiligenKrauchthalLandiswilLangnau im EmmentalLauperswilLohn-AmmannseggLützelflüh-GoldbachLyssachMötschwilNiederöschOberburgOberfrittenbachObergoldbachOberöschRamseiRanflühRöthenbach im EmmentalRüderswilRüdtligenRüedisbachRüegsauRüegsauschachenRüegsbachRumendingenRüti b. LyssachSchafhausen im EmmentalSchalunenSchangnauSchmidigen-MühlewegSchüpbachSchwanden im EmmentalSignauSüderenSumiswaldTrachselwaldTrubTrubschachenUtzenstorfWalterswil BEWasen im EmmentalWeier im EmmentalWiler b. UtzenstorfWilladingenWynigenWyssachenZielebachZollbrück
Map
swisstopo · OSMArrondissement administratif Jura bernois47'003Verwaltungskreis Biel/Bienne107'448Verwaltungskreis Seeland79'107Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau86'163Verwaltungskreis Bern-Mittelland430'771Verwaltungskreis Thun110'264Verwaltungskreis Obersimmental-Saanen16'863Verwaltungskreis Frutigen-Niedersimmental41'799Verwaltungskreis Interlaken-Oberhasli49'166
- Which municipalities belong to Verwaltungskreis Emmental?
- Verwaltungskreis Emmental comprises 39 municipalities: Burgdorf, Langnau im Emmental, Kirchberg, Sumiswald, Utzenstorf, Lützelflüh, Hasle bei Burgdorf, Bätterkinden, Rüegsau, Oberburg, Hindelbank, Lauperswil, Signau, Rüdtligen-Alchenflüh, Eggiwil, Rüderswil, Krauchthal, Koppigen, Wynigen, Ersigen, Heimiswil, Trubschachen, Lyssach, Trub, Affoltern im Emmental, Röthenbach im Emmental, Aefligen, Dürrenroth, Wiler bei Utzenstorf, Trachselwald, Schangnau, Alchenstorf, Kernenried, Zielebach, Höchstetten, Hellsau, Willadingen, Rüti bei Lyssach, Rumendingen. Together they have 100'490 residents (BFS, 2025).
- Which canton is Verwaltungskreis Emmental in?
- Verwaltungskreis Emmental lies in the canton of Bern, which is divided into 10 districts.
- How many people live in Verwaltungskreis Emmental?
- Verwaltungskreis Emmental has 100'490 residents (BFS STATPOP, 2025) — the sum of its 39 municipalities; the largest is Burgdorf with 17'577.
- Does Verwaltungskreis Emmental have its own tax rate?
- No. Tax rates are set by municipalities. In Verwaltungskreis Emmental the municipal rate ranges from 100 % (Rumendingen) to 210 % (Schangnau).
- How did Verwaltungskreis Emmental vote in the latest federal vote?
- On 27.09.2026, Verwaltungskreis Emmental voted 21.9 % yes on “Popular Initiative 'For food security – through increased sustainable domestic production, more plant-based food and clean drinking water (Food Initiative)'” (Rejected) — the district figure BFS publishes.
Districts exist in 17 cantons; UR, OW, NW, GL, ZG, BS, AI, NE and GE have no such level.