Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,021 in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Sault-Brénaz has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its strongest is cost of living (A): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4 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.
The one thing Sault-Brénaz does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Sault-Brénaz 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.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry lists no building in Sault-Brénaz as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Château dit Château Vieux, in Vertrieu, 2 mi away.
14% 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 Sault-Brénaz.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €10.07/m² a month, lower than both Ain’s towns (€12.27/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Renting a house costs an estimated €9.45/m² a month. Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 31 homes in Sault-Brénaz.
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
The under-15s are 16% of the population here. People aged 15 to 24 make up 13% of the town, above Ain’s towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%) alike. Residents of Sault-Brénaz have a median age of 41.6.
48% women, 52% men
About 106 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ain 51.0%, France 51.8%.
| Sault-Brénaz | Ain median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 20% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 20% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 28% | 17% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 32% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 18% | 32% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Ain median and France median: the median of compared communes
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 76 residents of Sault-Brénaz died, against 85 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 11% fewer. The nearest emergency department to Sault-Brénaz is Hopital Prive D Amberieu, 8.9 mi away. Life expectancy at birth in Ain is 85.9 years for women and 82 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France.
Source: INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025; DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 · Licence Ouverte · The care-home figures behind this are our own model (TownRatings), not official statistics. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from D to A−.
Median disposable income comes to €24,570 a year per consumption unit. At the census, 7.9% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Ain’s towns (13.8%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Sault-Brénaz. Best known first.
MuseumMaison de la pierre et du ciment4.7 km south, in Montalieu-VercieuChâteauChâteauChâteau de Cuchet3.6 km northwest, in Saint-Sorlin-en-BugeyChâteauChâteauChâteau Vieux de Vertrieu3.3 km northwest, in VertrieuChâteauChâteauChâteau de Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey3.7 km northwest, in Saint-Sorlin-en-BugeyAttractionAttractionSupports de vigne en pierre (à l'ancienne)2.8 km south, in Porcieu-AmblagnieuPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Nothing in Sault-Brénaz is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Sault-Brénaz yet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sault-Brénaz | 1,021 | — | — | A | — | B− |
| Montalieu-Vercieu Isère | 3,510 | 3.1 | C− | B+ | C− | D |
| Lagnieu | 7,411 | 4.2 | B+ | B− | B | C+ |
| Ambérieu-en-Bugey | 15,934 | 7.4 | C− | C+ | C− | C |
| Villieu-Loyes-Mollon | 3,849 | 9.8 | B | C | C+ | B |
| Ambronay | 2,841 | 11 | A− | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Meximieux | 8,247 | 11 | C+ | C− | C+ | B− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Sault-Brénaz has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 5.3 recorded violent incidents and 12.1 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Sault-Brénaz grades A for cost of living.
Commune in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Sault-Brénaz is a commune of 1,021 people in the Communauté de communes de la Plaine de l'Ain. 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) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · 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 October 30, 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.