The official region contains the large conurbation that includes Birmingham and Wolverhampton and includes also the mainly rural shire counties of Herefordshire , Shropshire , Staffordshire , Warwickshire and Worcestershire . The official region contains the large conurbation that includes Birmingham and Wolverhampton , but also covers the predominantly rural shire counties of Herefordshire , Shropshire , Staffordshire , Warwickshire and Worcestershire .