Taken together, its subjects give Castelnaudary a C+ overall, better than 45% of compared French towns. That places it #7 of 22 in Aude. Its weakest subject is safety — an average of 11.2 recorded violent incidents and 22 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy: 85% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 29% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Prices are modest for what you get (A−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for schools and B− for health.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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 Castelnaudary 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 Castelnaudary.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
More commuters in Castelnaudary walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Aude’s towns or compared French towns: 28.8%
For its 4,500 residents in work, Castelnaudary has 8,450 jobs: 1.9 each. The median disposable income was €22,270 a year per consumption unit, about level with Aude’s towns (€23,350) and below compared French towns (€25,970). The unemployment rate comes to 14.5%.
29%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving64%
Bicycle15%
On foot10%
Public transport4%
Motorbike or scooter1%
8,450
jobs based in Castelnaudary, 1.9 per working resident
14.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,270
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
6%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 92% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Old homes shape Castelnaudary: 19% were built before 1919, more than in Aude’s towns and across compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 14th century. Since 2011, a site patrimonial remarquable has protected part of the town. The Culture ministry lists 17 historic monuments in Castelnaudary: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 13 inscrit (the second level). Among the classé monuments locally is Église Saint-Michel.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Safety
For crime per resident, Castelnaudary sits above 88% of compared French towns
In all, 378 offenses reached the police record in Castelnaudary in 2025. More of the graded crimes here were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
11.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage139
Other physical violence54
Burglary50
Family violence44
Theft from vehicles44
Sexual violence24
Vehicle theft23
Theft without violence143
Drug use64
Fraud58
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.
11.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
22
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
378
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
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 · Small counts of armed robbery go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 0.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living A−
Renting in Castelnaudary costs less than in Aude’s towns and across compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €9.74/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Half the homes sold went for more than €1,484/m², below both Aude’s towns (€1,923/m²) and compared French towns (€2,430/m²). Apartments in Castelnaudary sell for €1,255/m², houses for €1,575/m². A house rents for an estimated €8.44/m² a month.
€1,484/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Castelnaudary€1,484/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Aude median€1,923/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,575/m²
310
Apartments
€1,255/m²
144
€9.74/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.76 to €12.22/m² a month)
4.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.44/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,170
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Castelnaudary Lauragais Audois
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A young town: 15% of people in Castelnaudary are 15 to 24, more than in Aude’s towns and across compared French towns
Those 65 and older account for a quarter of residents. 14% are under 15, below Aude’s towns (15%) and compared French towns (17%) alike. The age that splits Castelnaudary in two is 43.9.
43.9median age
CastelnaudaryAude medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
15%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma30%
CAP or BEP22%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education25%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 105 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 B−
Allowing for age and care homes, Castelnaudary sees 89 deaths per 100 expected, against 98 in Aude’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,516 deaths in Castelnaudary from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,682, 11% more. Life expectancy in Aude: 84.4 years for women and 78.3 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. 8 GPs practise in the town.
−11%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw111
Adjusted89
Median town88
Expected100
8
GPs in Castelnaudary · 2.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Jean Pierre Cassabel Hop Proximite
23.1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Intercommunal Castres Mazamet site Pays D Autan Castres
84.4 · 78.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Aude, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
89.0% of candidates passed the brevet at the two collèges within 5 km, 1.7 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The town’s schools place #4 of 15 in Aude on results. The bac pass rate near Castelnaudary is 92.8%, near both Aude’s towns (91.8%) and compared French towns (92.9%). At the general lycée, 96% of 295 candidates passed the bac, a point below the expected rate.
96%passed the bac (general and technological)B−School Grade
Église Saint-Michel: Photo: Symac / Sylvain Machefert · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Croix de pierre: Photo: Tylwyth Eldar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ancien couvent des Carmes: Photo: Corvins ( d · contributions ) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Melchior de Marion-Brésillac: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Auguste Fourès: Jaume Pahissa i Laporta, Public domain · Marie-Thérèse de Soubiran: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · François-Henry Laperrine: MOSSOT, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alain Estève: Panini, Public domain · Jean-François-César de Guilhermy: Jean-Baptiste Le Tellier dit Le Tellier Fils (1759-1812), Public domain
Castelnaudary’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 Castelnaudary
Is Castelnaudary safe?
It grades D for safety, #15 of 22 in Aude. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 50 burglaries and 139 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Castelnaudary good?
They grade B−, better than 49% of compared French towns and #4 of 15 in Aude. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Castelnaudary expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Castelnaudary grades A− for cost of living.
About Castelnaudary
Commune in Aude, Occitanie
Castelnaudary is a commune of 12,151 people in the Communauté de communes Castelnaudary Lauragais Audois. 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
Population
12,151 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Castelnaudary Lauragais Audois
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.
