Poncin has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 12 recorded violent incidents and 21.3 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Its strongest is cost of living (A−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Poncin 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 Poncin.
Safety
Crime per resident in Poncin runs higher than in 88% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 44 offenses in the graded categories in Poncin in 2025. Of the graded crimes in Poncin, other physical violence came up most often (2025). For sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 7.9% of the index here.
12recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Other physical violence17
Criminal damage11
Burglary9
Family violence7
Armed robbery0
Fraud10
Not in the gradeTheft without violence, drug use and fraud are shown for information but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence plus burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and criminal damage per resident.
12
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
21.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
44
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
7.9%
of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living A−
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Poncin than in Ain’s towns or across compared French towns: €9.95/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
For Poncin, that is below both Ain’s towns (€12.27/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €1,739/m², comes from 62 sales of houses and apartments in Poncin from July 2023 to June 2026.
€1,739/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Poncin€1,739/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ain median€2,641/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,848/m²
56
€9.95/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.69 to €12.87/m² a month)
4.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.94/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,270
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Rives de l'Ain - Pays du Cerdon
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth A−
Allowing for age and care homes, Poncin sees fewer deaths than Ain’s towns or compared French towns: 78 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Poncin sits below both Ain’s towns (82) and compared French towns (88) on this measure. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from C+ to A.
−22%deaths against expected, after care homesA−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw78
Adjusted78
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Poncin · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Prive D Amberieu
7.9 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
Poncin keeps more of its old housing than Ain or compared French towns: 25% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
That puts Poncin above both Ain’s towns (7.9%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Poncin, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for France
11% of residents are 15 to 24 and 22% are 65 or over, against 11% and 19% in the median compared commune of Ain. 30% of adults who have left education hold a higher-education diploma (Ain 32%, France 30%).
42.8median age
PoncinAin medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma17%
CAP or BEP30%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education30%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Ain 51.0%, France 51.8%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Poncin
Is Poncin safe?
It grades D for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 9 burglaries and 11 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Poncin good?
They grade D, better than 15% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Poncin expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,739/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Poncin grades A− for cost of living.
About Poncin
Commune in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Poncin is a commune of 1,803 people in the Communauté de communes Rives de l'Ain - Pays du Cerdon. 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
Population
1,803 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Rives de l'Ain - Pays du Cerdon
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.
