Prices are modest for what you get (B+): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. The weak point is jobs & income (D): 0.5 jobs per working resident; 11.9% unemployment. Health is a weak point (C−). A tenth of its homes are second homes.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · employment, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025). Virieu-le-Grand 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 Virieu-le-Grand 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 Virieu-le-Grand.
HealthHealth C−
Virieu-le-Grand’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 79% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
After the care-home adjustment, Virieu-le-Grand’s deaths ran at 100 per 100 expected, above Ain’s towns (82) and compared French towns (88) alike. 92 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, close to the 92 that France’s rates at each age predict. Also worth knowing: the nearest emergency department to Virieu-le-Grand is Centre hospitalier Bugey Sud, 7 mi away. For a family doctor, residents of Virieu-le-Grand have one GP on hand.
−0%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw100
Adjusted100
Median town88
Expected100
1
GPs in Virieu-le-Grand · 3.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Bugey Sud
7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Bugey Sud
85.9 · 82
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ain, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Incomes in Virieu-le-Grand run lower than in Ain’s towns or compared French towns: a median €22,930 a year per consumption unit
Unemployment stood at 11.9%, above Ain’s towns (8.3%) and compared French towns (10.1%) alike. Bus, tram or train carried 6.0% of working residents in Virieu-le-Grand to work at the census. At the census, 4.2% of working residents in Virieu-le-Grand didn’t travel to work at all.
11%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving83%
Public transport6%
On foot4%
Motorbike or scooter2%
Bicycle1%
250
jobs based in Virieu-le-Grand, 0.5 per working resident
11.9%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,930
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 77% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living B+
Buying in Virieu-le-Grand costs less than in Ain’s towns or across compared French towns: the median sale is €1,684/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €10.50/m² a month, below Ain’s towns (€12.27/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) alike. Virieu-le-Grand recorded 55 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026. Houses were 69% of what sold.
€1,684/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Virieu-le-Grand€1,684/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ain median€2,641/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,787/m²
38
€10.50/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.94 to €13.89/m² a month)
4.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.79/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,980
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Bugey Sud
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Children make up only 16% of Virieu-le-Grand, fewer than in Ain’s towns and compared French towns
People aged 15 to 24 make up 12% of the town, higher than both Ain’s towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%). Among adults, 23% have a degree. Ages in Virieu-le-Grand split evenly at 45.2: half are older, half younger.
45.2median age
Virieu-le-GrandAin medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma20%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat20%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% 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 Virieu-le-Grand
Is Virieu-le-Grand safe?
Virieu-le-Grand has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 6 recorded violent incidents and 15.8 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Virieu-le-Grand good?
They grade B, better than 61% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Virieu-le-Grand expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Virieu-le-Grand grades B+ for cost of living.
About Virieu-le-Grand
Commune in Ain, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Virieu-le-Grand is a commune of 1,111 people in the Communauté de communes Bugey Sud. 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.
