Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,886 people live in this town in Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
An even record, with no subject far from the norm. Le Pouzin’s overall grade of C puts it better than 29% of compared French towns, #13 of 16 in Ardèche. The weak point is jobs & income — 1.8 jobs per working resident; 12.3% unemployment. Crime runs high (C): an average of 9.7 recorded violent incidents and 16.3 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At €2,349/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 6.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Privas Centre Ardèche. Its strongest is walkability (B+): three quarters of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 10% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
The 2 things Le Pouzin does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Le Pouzin 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’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Le Pouzin; none is classé, France’s top protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 2nd century; the first monument here was protected in 1927.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Le Pouzin.
Police and gendarmerie figures for Le Pouzin show 54 offenses in 2025. Jobs outnumber working residents in Le Pouzin (2,050 to 1,150): it draws people in from around. The graded crime recorded most in the town 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 sexual violence, armed robbery, 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 (4.0% 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.
Unemployment stood at 12.3%, below Ardèche’s towns (13.3%) but above compared French towns (10.1%). After tax and benefits, the median income is €22,390 a year per consumption unit.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Ranked by results, schools here are #16 of 21 in Ardèche.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Alex MézencNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 86 | 86%−2 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Le Pouzin; none is classé, France’s top protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
25% of residents are 65 or over, between Ardèche’s towns (27%) and compared French towns (22%). Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 11% of the town. The age that splits Le Pouzin in two is 45.6.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ardèche 52.7%, France 51.8%.
| Le Pouzin | Ardèche median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 9.9% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 25% | 27% | 22% |
| No diploma | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 31% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 18% | 25% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Ardèche median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
89 sales of houses and apartments in Le Pouzin, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €2,349/m². The estimated advertised rent is €10.29/m² a month, close to Ardèche’s towns (€10.27/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). House rents are put at about €9.10/m² a month.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €2,349/m² | 65 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Life expectancy in Ardèche: 85.9 years for women and 79.7 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. From 2016 to 2025, 380 residents of Le Pouzin died, against 348 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 9% more. Its care home for older people (78 places) counts its residents as Le Pouzin’s; allowing for it, deaths were 12% below expected. The nearest emergency department to Le Pouzin is Centre hospitalier de Privas Ardeche, 8.1 mi away.
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 adjustment for care homes is TownRatings’ own modeling, not an official figure.
The Culture ministry’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Le Pouzin; none is classé, France’s top protection.
Pont romain: Photo: Remi Mathis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Abbaye de Rompon (restes): Photo: Remi Mathis · CC BY-SA 3.0
One notable person was born in Le Pouzin.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Pouzin | 2,886 | — | C | B− | C | B− |
| Loriol-sur-Drôme Drôme | 6,614 | 3.3 | C− | B | D | B− |
| La Voulte-sur-Rhône | 4,854 | 4.3 | C | B+ | C− | C |
| Livron-sur-Drôme Drôme | 9,329 | 5 | C− | B− | C | C |
| Chomérac | 3,183 | 5 | — | B | — | B |
| Cruas | 2,898 | 6.5 | — | B+ | — | C+ |
| Privas | 8,538 | 7.6 | B− | A− | C | C |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades C for safety, #10 of 16 in Ardèche. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 9 burglaries and 22 acts of criminal damage.
They grade C, better than 34% of compared French towns and #16 of 21 in Ardèche. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,349/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Le Pouzin grades B− for cost of living.
Commune in Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Le Pouzin is a commune of 2,886 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Privas Centre Ardèche. 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.
