Older than 97% of compared French towns: half of Salza is over 58
Against a figure of 32% in the typical compared French town, the share of households headed by a retired person in Salza comes in at 50%. At the same time, 2.8% of homes are flats, a lower share than in 99% of compared French towns. Census day 2023: 29 residents and 17 households locally. Put another way, about one in eight: 13% of households have no car.
Throughout this page, the Aude median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
What stands out about the people of Salza
One home in two is a second home
The census counted 18 second homes and occasional dwellings in Salza, 48% of its 38 homes: higher than in 97% of compared French towns. 72% of them are houses. Their owners live elsewhere, so they aren’t in the population figures on this page. Homes & cars ↓
Immigrants
INSEE counts 0 immigrants in Salza (people born abroad who weren’t French at birth, whatever their nationality now): 25% of residents, against 6% for the median compared commune in Aude. 18% are foreign nationals. Immigrants and foreign nationals ↓
An older town
Half of Salza’s residents are under 58 and half over; the median of compared French towns is 44. 46% are 65 or older (France median 22%), 3.6% 80 or older. Ages ↓
Growing fast
Salza had 18 residents at the 2012 census and 29 in 2023, up 61%: faster growth than in 99% of compared French towns. Population ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
Above 97% of compared French towns: 48% of homes are second homes
Every home the census counted: main residences, second homes and occasional dwellings (INSEE counts them together), and empty homes. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
All homes · share of homes
Type of home
Cars per household · share of households
Households in social housing are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. Put another way, about one in 13: 8% of homes stand empty. Typically, 2.1% of homes are second homes in the typical compared French town. One household in eight has no car (median compared French town: 11%).
A growing town: +61% since 2012, faster than 99% of compared French towns
Residents at INSEE’s last three censuses, each recast in the 2026 commune boundaries. France has no yearly estimate by commune between censuses.
2012 to 2023
2017 to 2023
Against +5% for the median compared French town and +4% for the median Aude town, the change came in two steps: −6% from 2012 to 2017, then +71% to 2023.
46% of residents are 65 or over, a share 99% of compared French towns don’t reach
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Salza 58. The median compared French town: 44.
Residents aged 15 to 24: 7.1%, below 97% of compared French towns. Elsewhere, 22% of residents are 65 or over in the typical compared French town.
Women and men · all residents
43% women, 57% men
About 75 women for every 100 men. Median share of women: Aude 52.3%, France 51.8%.
In Salza, 50% of households are one person living alone, more than in 94% of compared French towns
A household is everyone who shares a main home (résidence principale). Household types come from INSEE’s fuller sample of a quarter of census forms.
Against the Aude median and the France median
Living alone · share
There are 1.8 people in the average household. To put it in context, just over a third of households are one person living alone in the typical compared French town. Single-parent households are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. Nothing unusual on couples with children: 25%, close to the figure in the typical compared French town.
The largest group of households: retired (50%)
Households by the socio-professional group (PCS) of their reference person, INSEE’s own categories. Jobs and commuting are on the Work & commute page.
Households by reference person’s group · share of households
Households headed by a manager or professional are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
Salza sits above 97% of compared French towns for immigrants (25%)
INSEE publishes two measures, which overlap but aren’t the same. Neither is the UK’s “born abroad”.
Share of residents · census 2023
Immigrant (immigré)
Born abroad, not French at birth. Someone stays an immigrant after becoming French. A French citizen born abroad (for example in Algeria before 1962) is not one.
Foreign national (étranger)
Not a French citizen today, wherever born. A child born in France to foreign parents can be a foreign national without being an immigrant.
The share of foreign nationals is 18%, against 4.3% in the typical compared French town. To put it in context, 6.5% of residents are immigrants in the typical compared French town.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
Only 22% of residents 15 and over are single in Salza
Residents 15 and over by how they live: the census asks both the legal status and whether people live as a couple.
Residents 15 and over · share
With married residents at 44%, Salza is ahead of 61% of compared French towns on that count. On average, 25% of residents 15 and over are single in the typical compared French town.
A smaller share of adults with no qualification than 99% of compared French towns: 7.7%
Highest diploma of residents 15 and over who have left education, in French terms: the levels don’t map one-to-one to UK or U.S. ones.
Highest diploma · 15 and over, out of education
Graduates of higher education make up 50%, against 30% in the typical compared French town. Measured more widely, 19% of adults out of school have no qualification in the typical compared French town.
5th highest median age among 41 French towns of 29 to 2,582
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
Villejust is the youngest (37.2); Prayssac the oldest (62.3).
Salza and its 5 nearest towns: 1 of them are older
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salza | 58 | 46% | 48% | 25% |
| Palaja 2,722 · 14.2 mi | 46.2 | 22% | 2.5% | 5.8% |
| Limoux 10,532 · 15 mi | 50.3 | 30% | 4.7% | 11% |
| Trèbes 5,361 · 15.9 mi | 50.2 | 30% | 3.4% | 12% |
| Carcassonne 46,080 · 17.5 mi | 46.6 | 26% | 6.7% | 14% |
| Quillan 2,978 · 17.7 mi | 59.1 | 38% | 19% | 14% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Census 2023. INSEE’s census is a rolling survey: a fifth of small communes each year, 8% of homes in large ones each year. “2023” pools the surveys of 2021 to 2025, so the figures describe the town around 2023, not on one day.
- Medians of compared communes. The comparisons are the median of the département’s compared communes and of France’s (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median: not the total for the département or for France, which large cities pull towards their own figures.
- Immigrants and foreign nationals. INSEE’s two measures: an immigrant was born abroad without French nationality; a foreign national isn’t French today. Neither is a count of people born abroad, which INSEE doesn’t publish by commune.
- Second homes. Homes used for holidays or weekends, with occasional dwellings (kept for work, for example), which INSEE counts together. Their owners are counted where they live, not here.
- Standard of living. INSEE’s Filosofi: disposable income per consumption unit, from tax and benefit files, 2023. The poverty rate is the share of residents below 60% of France’s median. Not published for the smallest communes.
- What France doesn’t ask. The French census asks nothing about ethnicity, religion, language or health, so this page has no such section.
Questions about who lives in Salza
What is the population of Salza?
29 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 61% more than in 2012 (18).
How old are Salza’s residents?
The median age is 58, older than 97% of compared French towns. 7.1% are under 18 and 46% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Salza?
18, with occasional dwellings: 48% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Salza?
INSEE counts 7 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 25% of residents, and 5 foreign nationals (18%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, ages, households, homes, marital status, diplomas, immigrants, foreign nationals, employment), 2026 geography · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (standard of living, poverty) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated 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.