Varilhes, #1 on this list · Photo: User:Ville de Varilhes (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ariège · 2026

Best places to live in Ariège

Varilhes ranks first of 11 ranked towns of 2,500 or more in Ariège, and #333 of 3,798 French towns. 2 of the 11 grade A− or better; scores run from 67.0 down to 30.2.

The overall score, sorted within the département; the letter compares each town with every French town of 2,500+, and its rank among French towns sits beside it. How grades work

Varilhes

3,487 people

Score 67.0·#333 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: health A, safety B⁺·lowest: jobs & income B⁻

La Tour-du-Crieu

3,230 people

A⁻

Score 58.9·#885 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: safety A⁺, health A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D

Saint-Jean-du-Falga

2,851 people

B⁺

Score 56.8·#1,068 of 3,798 French towns

Strongest: walkability B⁺, safety B⁺·lowest: jobs & income C

All 11 towns, ranked

By overall score against French towns; ranks are within the département, and each French rank links to the national list.

Every town in Ariège →

#TownScoreGrade · French rankWhat drives it

1Varilhes3,487 people67.0top 8.7%A#333 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: health A, safety B⁺·lowest: jobs & income B⁻

2La Tour-du-Crieu3,230 people58.9top 23.3%A⁻#885 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety A⁺, health A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D

3Saint-Jean-du-Falga2,851 people56.8top 28.1%B⁺#1,068 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B⁺, safety B⁺·lowest: jobs & income C

4Mazères3,852 people52.6top 39.3%B#1,492 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: safety B⁺, schools B⁺·lowest: health C⁻

5Mirepoix3,172 people47.5bottom 46.2%B⁻#2,045 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, safety B·lowest: jobs & income C⁻

6Lavelanet5,987 people46.6bottom 43.7%C⁺#2,138 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, cost of living A⁻·lowest: jobs & income D

7Foix9,934 people41.6bottom 31.4%C#2,607 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: cost of living A⁻, walkability A⁻·lowest: safety D

8Pamiers16,473 people41.6bottom 31.3%C#2,608 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A⁻, cost of living B⁺·lowest: safety D

9Saint-Girons6,008 people41.3bottom 30.8%C#2,627 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B⁺·lowest: safety D

10Tarascon-sur-Ariège3,085 people38.9bottom 24.2%C⁻#2,878 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability A, cost of living B⁺·lowest: schools D⁻

11Saverdun4,808 people30.2bottom 8.0%D#3,494 of 3,798 nationallyStrongest: walkability B, cost of living C⁺·lowest: health D

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Ariège?

Varilhes ranks first of 11 graded towns of 2,500 or more: health (A) and safety (B+) are its strongest grades; jobs & income (B−) is its lowest. La Tour-du-Crieu and Saint-Jean-du-Falga follow.

How are these towns ranked?

By the overall grade, which blends six graded subjects (cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs and income, walkability) from public data, each comparing a town with every French town of 1,000 or more. The rank is among the towns of 2,500 or more in Ariège, where five or more have an overall grade.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

The list covers places of 2,500 or more with an overall grade. Smaller places, and towns missing figures the overall grade needs, show their grades on their own pages; every commune is listed on the Ariège page.

Photos: Varilhes, User:Ville de Varilhes (CC BY-SA 4.0) · La Tour-du-Crieu, Lucas Destrem (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Saint-Jean-du-Falga, jean-claude aiglehoux (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, run #57 of November 4, 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.