Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,915 in Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Abrest grades B+ overall: better than 68% of compared French towns, and #10 of 19 in Allier. Its weakest subject is schools (C−): bac results 3.9 points below the expected rate; brevet results 2.6 points below the expected rate. Its strongest is cost of living (A−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.8 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 overall grade uses the other six subjects.
The one thing Abrest does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Abrest 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 2 historic monuments in Abrest, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 14th century; the first monument here was protected in 1980.
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Abrest. Best known first.
MuseumMusée des arts d'Afrique et d'Asie4.1 km northwest, in VichyChâteauChâteauChâteau d'Abrestin townMonastery or conventMonastery or conventCouvent des Célestins de Vichy3.2 km northwest, in VichyGardenGardenParc Kennedy3.2 km northwest, in VichyAttractionAttractionChalets Napoléon III3.9 km northwest, in VichyPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Abrest.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €1,695/m², comes from 98 sales of houses and apartments in Abrest from July 2023 to June 2026.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,695/m² | 96 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Violence against people averaged 1.5 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 14.1. Police and gendarmerie figures for Abrest show 19 offenses in 2025. Among the graded crimes here, the most frequent was criminal damage (2025).
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.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · When family violence, other physical violence, sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (12.0% of the index here). Because that share is over 10%, this Safety Grade is less sure than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the 2 vocational lycées within 5 km, 79% of 224 candidates passed the bac pro. Ranked by results, schools here are #9 of 21 in Allier. 86.5% of candidates passed the brevet at the collèges within 5 km of Abrest, about level with compared French towns (87.5%) and above Allier’s towns (84.2%).
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Les CélestinsNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 84 | 82%−7 pts |
| Lycée polyvalent Valery LarbaudNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 65 | 89%−8 pts |
| Collège Saint-Dominique PrivateBest against expectations: 3 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 88 | 98%+3 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Median disposable income comes to €26,160 a year per consumption unit. Per resident in work, Abrest counts 0.9 jobs (1,050 jobs, 1,250 workers). No commute at all: 4.7% of working residents here at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 14th century. 5.3% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Allier’s towns (9.2%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
In Allier, life expectancy at birth reaches 84.8 years for women and 78.6 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. France’s death rates at each age would predict 261 deaths in Abrest from 2016 to 2025; there were 238, 9% fewer. After the care-home adjustment, the town’s deaths ran at 91 per 100 expected, near both Allier’s towns (89) and compared French towns (88). 2 GPs practise in the town.
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 step is TownRatings’ own calculation, not an official number. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from C− to B+.
The share of residents under 15 is 17%. 27% of adults hold a degree, higher than Allier’s towns (22%) yet lower than compared French towns (30%). People 65 and over make up 24% of the town.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Allier 52.6%, France 51.8%.
| Abrest | Allier median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 14% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 9.3% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 19% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 24% | 30% | 22% |
| No diploma | 18% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 32% | 29% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Higher education | 27% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Allier median and France median: the median of compared communes
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Abrest, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Château des Chaussins: Photo: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wikidata places 1 person here, but the articles don’t both confirm Abrest as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abrest | 2,915 | — | B+ | A− | A− | C+ |
| Saint-Yorre | 2,641 | 2.2 | A+ | A | A | C |
| Vichy | 25,115 | 2.4 | C− | B | D | B− |
| Bellerive-sur-Allier | 8,943 | 2.6 | C | C+ | C+ | B |
| Cusset | 13,316 | 2.7 | C+ | B+ | B− | C |
| Creuzier-le-Vieux | 3,205 | 4.2 | A | B− | A+ | B+ |
| Saint-Germain-des-Fossés | 3,579 | 7.3 | B+ | A | A− | C |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades A− for safety, #7 of 19 in Allier. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 6 burglaries and 13 acts of criminal damage.
They grade C−, better than 23% of compared French towns and #9 of 21 in Allier. 89% of 65 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Valery Larbaud in 2025, 8 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,695/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Abrest grades A− for cost of living.
Commune in Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Abrest is a commune of 2,915 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Vichy Communauté. 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.
