Pont-de-Vaux’s strongest subject is health: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 34% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. It is strong on walkability as well — 87% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 13% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Where it falls short is schools — brevet results 3 points below the expected rate. Buying 70 m² at the median €1,688/m² takes 4.3 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes Bresse et Saône.
Figures: deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Pont-de-Vaux has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Pont-de-Vaux 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 Pont-de-Vaux.
HealthHealth A
Fewer deaths than Pont-de-Vaux’s ages would predict, 66 per 100 expected, under Ain’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Pont-de-Vaux has 5 family doctors. The nearest emergency department to Pont-de-Vaux is Ch les Chanaux Macon, 10.1 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 501 deaths here from 2016 to 2025; there were 500, about as many. Also worth knowing: at birth, a girl in Ain can expect 85.9 years and a boy 82 (2025); across France, 85.9 and 80.3.
−34%deaths against expected, after care homesAHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw100
Adjusted66
Median town88
Expected100
5
GPs in Pont-de-Vaux · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
10.1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch les Chanaux Macon
10.1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch les Chanaux Macon
85.9 · 82
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ain, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Children make up only 12% of Pont-de-Vaux, fewer than in Ain’s towns and compared French towns
34% of residents are 65 or over, above both Ain’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (22%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 9.8% of residents. Graduates make up 18% of adults.
52.2median age
Pont-de-VauxAin medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
34%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma29%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education18%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 91 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ain 51.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living B+
A home in Pont-de-Vaux sells for €1,688/m², less than in Ain’s towns or compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €11.15/m² a month, below Ain’s towns (€12.27/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) alike. Houses accounted for 67% of sales, apartments for the rest. Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 73 homes in Pont-de-Vaux.
€1,688/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Pont-de-Vaux€1,688/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ain median€2,641/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,759/m²
49
€11.15/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.62 to €14.42/m² a month)
4.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.70/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€27,170
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Bresse et Saône
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Per resident, Pont-de-Vaux sees less crime than 62% of compared French towns
Graded property crimes ran at 12.7 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 6.4 (2023–2025 average). All told, Pont-de-Vaux had 42 recorded offenses in 2025. Jobs outnumber working residents in Pont-de-Vaux (1,350 to 900): it draws people in from around. More of the graded crimes locally were family violence than anything else (2025).
6.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearBSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Family violence14
Vehicle theft10
Other physical violence9
Criminal damage9
Fraud19
Theft without violence7
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.
6.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
12.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
42
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
24.5%
of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · For sexual violence, armed robbery, burglary and theft from vehicles, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 24.5% of the index here. With more than 10% of the index estimated that way, this Safety Grade is less sure than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher.
History
Old homes shape Pont-de-Vaux: 23% 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.
The protected list starts in the 18th century. Among the classé monuments in Pont-de-Vaux is maison Racle.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Pont-de-Vaux
Are schools in Pont-de-Vaux good?
They grade C, better than 28% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Pont-de-Vaux expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Pont-de-Vaux grades B+ for cost of living.
About Pont-de-Vaux
Commune in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Pont-de-Vaux is a commune of 2,204 people in the Communauté de communes Bresse et Saône. 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.
