Chalamont grades A overall: better than 90% of compared French towns, and #11 of 53 in Ain. At the median price of €2,327/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.8 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté de communes de la Dombes. Its strongest is walkability (A−): 83% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 12% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Each subject compares Chalamont with other French towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far its rank is from the middle. American and UK towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Chalamont.
Work & commuteJobs & income B+
Fewer people in Chalamont are out of work than in Ain’s towns or across compared French towns: 7.0%
For Chalamont, that is below both Ain’s towns (8.3%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Chalamont has 750 jobs for 1,200 working residents, 0.6 per worker.
12%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving82%
On foot6%
Public transport6%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle0%
750
jobs based in Chalamont, 0.6 per working resident
7.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€26,960
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 83% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living B+
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Chalamont than in Ain’s towns or across compared French towns: €10.62/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Chalamont sits below both Ain’s towns (€12.27/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) on this measure. The median price, €2,327/m², comes from 84 sales of houses and apartments in Chalamont from July 2023 to June 2026. Houses in Chalamont sell for €2,500/m² and apartments for €1,867/m².
€2,327/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Chalamont€2,327/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ain median€2,641/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,500/m²
53
Apartments
€1,867/m²
31
€10.62/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.38 to €13.47/m² a month)
5.8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€11.35/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€28,250
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes de la Dombes
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Old homes shape Chalamont: 13% were built before 1919, more than in Ain’s towns or compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
That puts Chalamont above both Ain’s towns (7.9%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Chalamont, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
INSEE, census 2023 · Ain median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth C+
Allowing for age and care homes, Chalamont sees 90 deaths per 100 expected, against 82 in Ain’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 345 residents of Chalamont died, against 281 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 23% more. Its care home for older people (80 places) counts its residents as Chalamont’s; allowing for it, deaths were 10% below expected. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−10%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw123
Adjusted90
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Chalamont · 2.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
8.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Prive D Amberieu
8.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Hopital Prive D Amberieu
85.9 · 82
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ain, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Chalamont
Is Chalamont safe?
It has less crime per resident than 71% of compared French towns: an average of 2.9 recorded violent incidents and 14.3 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. It grades B+ for safety, #17 of 53 in Ain. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 18 burglaries and 10 acts of criminal damage.
Is Chalamont expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,327/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Chalamont grades B+ for cost of living.
About Chalamont
Commune in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Chalamont is a commune of 2,533 people in the Communauté de communes de la Dombes. TownRatings compares communes, France’s local unit: each has its own mayor and its own statistics. Its area takes in the town and the countryside around it.
Built from INSEE’s 2026 official geography (COG) and IGN Admin Express boundaries
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.
