Prices are modest for what you get (A): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 3.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Health is another plus (B+) — after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 21% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Its lowest grade is for jobs & income — 1.5 jobs per working resident; 12.5% unemployment. Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for schools and B for walkability.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment and commuting, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025. Bourbon-l'Archambault 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 Bourbon-l'Archambault 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.
SafetyNot graded: over a quarter of the index would rest on the département’s average, where small counts aren’t published–
Hazard riskNot graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas–
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Château · Classé · Photo: Pascal chevalier · CC BY 3.0
Bourbon-l'Archambault’s story
Bourbon-l'Archambault in pictures
On the Culture ministry’s list, Bourbon-l'Archambault counts 10 historic monuments: 4 classé at the top level of protection and 6 inscrit at the second.
The oldest protected part dates from the 9th century; the first monument here was protected in 1846.
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2010.
24% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bourbon-l'Archambault.
Who lives here
Bourbon-l'Archambault skews older, with 38% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Allier’s towns and compared French towns
One measure of family life: just over one in ten residents are under 15. 6.7% of residents are 15 to 24, below Allier’s towns (9.3%) and compared French towns (11%) alike. Among adults, 23% have a degree.
57.2median age
Bourbon-l'ArchambaultAllier medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
38%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma29%
CAP or BEP24%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 84 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Allier 52.6%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Allier median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living A
Homes in Bourbon-l'Archambault cost less than in both Allier’s towns and compared French towns, with a median sale of €1,233/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €9.05/m² a month, about level with Allier’s towns (€9.45/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Estimated advertised rent for houses: €8.10/m² a month. Bourbon-l'Archambault recorded 92 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026.
€1,233/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Bourbon-l'Archambault€1,233/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Allier median€1,320/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,235/m²
87
€9.05/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.10 to €11.54/m² a month)
3.7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.10/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,610
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Bocage Bourbonnais
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Mortality in Bourbon-l'Archambault, once ages and care homes are allowed for, undercuts Allier’s towns and compared French towns: 79 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 627 residents of Bourbon-l'Archambault died, against 575 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 9% more. The nearest emergency department to Bourbon-l'Archambault is Centre hospitalier de Moulins, 12.8 mi away. There are 7 general practitioners here. Average lifespans in Allier: 84.8 years for women, 78.6 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
−21%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw109
Adjusted79
Median town88
Expected100
7
GPs in Bourbon-l'Archambault · 4.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
12.8 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Moulins
12.8 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Moulins
84.8 · 78.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Allier, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
12.5% of the labour force were unemployed, about level with Allier’s towns (12.1%) and above compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 5.7% of working residents in Bourbon-l'Archambault didn’t travel to work at all. Also worth knowing: the typical income here, after tax and benefits, is €24,500 a year per consumption unit.
14%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving79%
On foot9%
Public transport3%
Bicycle3%
Motorbike or scooter1%
1,200
jobs based in Bourbon-l'Archambault, 1.5 per working resident
12.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,500
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
6%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B
Walkability: better than 64% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Bourbon-l'Archambault keeps more of its old housing than Allier’s towns or compared French towns: 24% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Per 10,000 residents, Bourbon-l'Archambault counts 40 protected monuments, higher than both Allier’s towns (4.9) and compared French towns (2.5). Since 2010, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area. On the Culture ministry’s list, Bourbon-l'Archambault counts 10 historic monuments: 4 classé at the top level of protection and 6 inscrit at the second. Among the classé monuments in the town is Église Saint-Georges.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Bourbon-l'Archambault has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average
Over 2025, Bourbon-l'Archambault logged 16 recorded offenses. Graded property crimes ran at 3.3 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 3.3 (2023–2025 average). This Allier town has 1,200 jobs for 850 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work. The graded crime recorded most in the town was criminal damage (2025).
3.3recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage9
Family violence7
Armed robbery0
Theft without violence10
Fraud10
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.
3.3
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
3.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
16
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
51.1%
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 other physical violence, sexual violence, burglary, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 51.1% of the index here. 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.
Nearby attractions
Château de Bourbon-l'Archambault and 5 more in and around Bourbon-l'Archambault
Heritage and other places to visit in and near Bourbon-l'Archambault. Best known first.
On the Culture ministry’s list, Bourbon-l'Archambault counts 10 historic monuments: 4 classé at the top level of protection and 6 inscrit at the second.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Bourbon-l'Archambault
Is Bourbon-l'Archambault safe?
Bourbon-l'Archambault has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average.
Are schools in Bourbon-l'Archambault good?
They grade C+, better than 43% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Bourbon-l'Archambault expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Bourbon-l'Archambault grades A for cost of living.
About Bourbon-l'Archambault
Commune in Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Bourbon-l'Archambault is a commune of 2,494 people in the Communauté de communes du Bocage Bourbonnais. 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.
