Rotherham, town and metropolitan borough, metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, north-central England. It is located at the confluence of the Rivers Don and Rother just north of Sheffield. Besides the town of Rotherham, the metropolitan borough includes suburban areas, rural villages, areas of open countryside, and the coal-mining town of Maltby.
Rotherham town expanded rapidly after the founding of ironworks there in 1746, and in the 19th century it became part of a continuous industrial belt extending along the Don valley from Sheffield to Mexborough. Steelworks and engineering remain important to the local economy, but light manufactures, research and development, and service activities provide some diversification. Area borough, 111 square miles (287 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 117,262; borough, 248,175; (2011) town, 109,691; borough, 257,280.