Melton is a local government district with borough status in north-eastern Leicestershire, England. It is named after its main town, Melton Mowbray. Other settlements include Asfordby and Bottesford. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 50,376. Melton is a rural area in the north-east part of Leicestershire and at the heart of the East Midlands. It is the 10th smallest district in England by population. The main activities of the district are centred on the single market town of Melton Mowbray which had a population of 27,158 at the 2011 census.