Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, home to 507 people.
At under 1,000 residents, Saint-Germain-de-Joux is too small for the grades other French towns get. Holiday and other second homes account for 15% of homes.
The one thing Saint-Germain-de-Joux does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Saint-Germain-de-Joux as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Borne frontière, in Viry, 6 mi away.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Germain-de-Joux.
16% of residents are 65 or over, below Ain’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (22%) alike. One measure of family life: 18% of residents are under 15. Ages in Saint-Germain-de-Joux split evenly at 37.7: half are older, half younger.
48% women, 52% men
About 110 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ain 51.0%, France 51.8%.
| Saint-Germain-de-Joux | Ain median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 20% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 30% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 16% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 25% | 17% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 28% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 21% | 32% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Ain median and France median: the median of compared communes
Unemployment stood at 11.2%, above Ain’s towns (8.3%) and compared French towns (10.1%) alike. 50 jobs are based in Saint-Germain-de-Joux, for 250 working residents (0.2 per worker). 2.2% of the town’s working residents had no journey to work at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
15 houses and apartments changed hands in Saint-Germain-de-Joux from July 2023 to June 2026. Houses made up 73% of the homes sold; apartments the rest.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Other places to visit in and near Saint-Germain-de-Joux. Best known first.
Nothing in Saint-Germain-de-Joux is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
One notable person was born in Saint-Germain-de-Joux.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Germain-de-Joux | 507 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Valserhône | 16,712 | 5.8 | D | C− | C− | C |
| Nantua | 3,416 | 6.5 | C+ | A− | C | B− |
| Bellignat | 3,525 | 6.9 | A− | B | B | A− |
| Oyonnax | 22,480 | 7 | B | B− | B− | C+ |
| Montréal-la-Cluse | 3,568 | 7.7 | B | B− | A− | B− |
| Arbent | 3,555 | 7.7 | — | B+ | — | A |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Saint-Germain-de-Joux is a commune of 507 people in the Communauté de communes Terre Valserhône. 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
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
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.