Joyeuse has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its weakest subject is schools (D): brevet results 9 points below the expected rate. At the median price of €1,842/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté de communes du Pays Beaume-Drobie. Its strongest is health (A): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 28% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Joyeuse 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 Joyeuse.
Schools
Schools around Joyeuse do less well than those of 92% of compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The brevet pass rate near Joyeuse is 85.0%, below Ardèche’s towns (87.6%) and compared French towns (87.5%) alike. No general lycée lies within 5 km; the nearest is 12.1 mi away.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth A
Mortality in Joyeuse, once ages and care homes are allowed for, undercuts Ardèche’s towns and compared French towns: 72 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Joyeuse is Ch Ardeche Meridionale Aubenas, 12.2 mi away. 336 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 320: 5% above. Life expectancy at birth in Ardèche is 85.9 years for women and 79.7 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. There are 6 general practitioners here.
−28%deaths against expected, after care homesAHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw105
Adjusted72
Median town88
Expected100
6
GPs in Joyeuse · 4.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
12.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Ardeche Meridionale Aubenas
12.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Ardeche Meridionale Aubenas
85.9 · 79.7
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ardèche, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Older residents shape Joyeuse: 35% are 65 or over, above Ardèche’s towns and compared French towns
Children under 15 count for just over a tenth of the people here. 6.9% of residents are 15 to 24, below Ardèche’s towns (9.9%) and compared French towns (11%) alike. Joyeuse has a median age of 55.6.
55.6median age
JoyeuseArdèche medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
35%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma16%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat23%
Higher education28%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 90 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ardèche 52.7%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Ardèche median and France median: the median of compared communes
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Joyeuse has higher unemployment than Ardèche’s towns or compared French towns: 15.8%
16.7% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Joyeuse holds 1,000 jobs; 600 of its residents are in work, so 1.6 jobs each. The median disposable income was €23,150 a year per consumption unit, about level with Ardèche’s towns (€22,735) and below compared French towns (€25,970).
17%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving77%
On foot11%
Bicycle3%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
1,000
jobs based in Joyeuse, 1.6 per working resident
15.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,150
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 75% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Old homes shape Joyeuse: 29% were built before 1919, more than in Ardèche’s towns or compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The earliest of these monuments dates from the 16th century. The Culture ministry lists 4 historic monuments in Joyeuse, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
4historic monuments
Monuments by protection · Mérimée
Classé0
Inscrit4
16th c.
oldest protected part
1988
first monument protected
1994
protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable)
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Safety
Per resident, Joyeuse sees more crime than 59% of compared French towns
Graded property crimes ran at 14.2 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 9.1 (2023–2025 average). 2025 saw 33 offenses recorded in Joyeuse. In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes locally.
9.1recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage14
Other physical violence10
Family violence9
Theft without violence16
Drug use14
Fraud14
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.
9.1
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
14.2
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
33
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
18.0%
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 sexual violence, armed robbery, 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, 18.0% of the index here. That estimated share passes 10%, so treat this Safety Grade with more caution than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living B
Joyeuse’s grade for cost of living: a B
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses sell for €2,055/m² in Joyeuse, apartments for €1,550/m². Behind the median of €1,842/m²: 95 houses and apartments sold locally between July 2023 and June 2026. Advertised rents are estimated at €9.56/m² a month, about level with Ardèche’s towns (€10.27/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
€1,842/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Joyeuse€1,842/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ardèche median€1,907/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,055/m²
63
Apartments
€1,550/m²
32
€9.56/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.65 to €11.97/m² a month)
5.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.37/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,210
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Pays Beaume-Drobie
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Joyeuse
Are schools in Joyeuse good?
They grade D, better than 8% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Joyeuse expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,842/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Joyeuse grades B for cost of living.
About Joyeuse
Commune in Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Joyeuse is a commune of 1,811 people in the Communauté de communes du Pays Beaume-Drobie. 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.
