Carcassonne grades C− overall: better than 16% of compared French towns, and #10 of 22 in Aude. Its weakest subject is safety (D−): an average of 13.2 recorded violent incidents and 32.5 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €1,436/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Carcassonne Agglo. Its strongest is walkability (A): 80% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 19% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Each subject compares Carcassonne 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 Carcassonne.
Safety
Carcassonne sees more crime per resident than 98% of compared French towns
The police record for Carcassonne lists 2,146 offenses in 2025. The town comes 20th of the 22 compared towns in Aude on the Safety Grade. Jobs outnumber working residents in Carcassonne (32,050 to 16,000): it draws people in from around. Of the graded crimes in the town, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
13.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearD−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage646
Theft from vehicles420
Other physical violence341
Burglary266
Family violence198
Vehicle theft147
Sexual violence120
Armed robbery8
Theft without violence597
Fraud370
Drug use245
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.
13.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
32.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
2,146
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 0.1%
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 · 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.
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 1997, and 52 historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Carcassonne is Cité de Carcassonne. Scaled to its population, that is 11 protected monuments for every 10,000 people locally. Part of the town has been protected as a historic area since 1997. Protection here reaches back to prehistory.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Schools
84.3% of candidates passed the brevet at the five collèges within 5 km, 1.8 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Its collèges and lycées rank #6 of 15 in Aude on results. At the lycées within 5 km of Carcassonne, 91.8% passed the bac, close to both Aude’s towns (91.8%) and compared French towns (92.9%).
95%passed the bac (general and technological)CSchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A young town: 12% of people in Carcassonne are 15 to 24, more than in Aude’s towns or compared French towns
The under-15s are 14% of the population here. People 65 and over make up 26% of the town, between Aude’s towns (29%) and compared French towns (22%). Among adults, 28% have a degree.
46.6median age
CarcassonneAude medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
26%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma22%
CAP or BEP22%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education28%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 88 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Aude 52.3%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Aude median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth C+
Carcassonne records 91 deaths for every 100 its ages predict, against 98 in Aude’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 5,728 residents of Carcassonne died, against 5,530 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 4% more. Average lifespans in Aude: 84.4 years for women, 78.3 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. Also worth knowing: for a family doctor, residents of Carcassonne can choose among 34 GPs.
−9%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw104
Adjusted91
Median town88
Expected100
34
GPs in Carcassonne · 3.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Polyclinique Montreal Carcassonne
2.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Carcassonne Antoine Gayraud
84.4 · 78.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Aude, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house in Carcassonne goes for €1,644/m², an apartment for €1,274/m². The median price, €1,436/m², comes from 2,341 sales of houses and apartments locally from July 2023 to June 2026. Of the homes sold, 52% were houses.
€1,436/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Carcassonne€1,436/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Aude median€1,923/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,644/m²
1,212
Apartments
€1,274/m²
1,129
€10.94/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.70 to €13.75/m² a month)
4.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.14/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,110
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Carcassonne Agglo
Albert Fert: Eurobas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paul Sabatier: Nobel Foundation, Public domain · André Cayatte: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Maurice Sarrail: Unknown (Bain News Service, publisher), Public domain · Fabre d'Églantine: Didier Descouens, Public domain · Olivia Ruiz: Jérémy Kergourlay, CC BY-SA 4.0
Carcassonne’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Carcassonne
Is Carcassonne safe?
It grades D− for safety, #20 of 22 in Aude. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 266 burglaries and 646 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Carcassonne good?
They grade C, better than 30% of compared French towns and #6 of 15 in Aude. The lycée stands out: 100% of 85 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé polyvalent Saint-Louis in 2025, 2 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Carcassonne expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,436/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €10.94/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Carcassonne grades B for cost of living.
About Carcassonne
Commune in Aude, Occitanie
Carcassonne is a commune of 46,080 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Carcassonne Agglo. 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.
