Sancerre has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its strongest is cost of living (A): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 3.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Sancerre 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 Sancerre.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Sancerre: 42% are 65 or over, above Cher’s towns and compared French towns
8.4% of residents are children under 15. Degrees are held by 30% of adults, higher than Cher’s towns (20%) and near compared French towns (30%). People aged 15 to 24 make up a tenth of the town.
59.4median age
SancerreCher medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
42%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma19%
CAP or BEP28%
Baccalauréat16%
Higher education30%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 87 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Cher 52.2%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Cher median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living A
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Sancerre than in Cher’s towns or across compared French towns: €8.09/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median sale price was €1,432/m², between Cher’s towns (€1,298/m²) and compared French towns (€2,430/m²). Houses made up 93% of the homes sold; apartments the rest. 58 houses and apartments changed hands in Sancerre from July 2023 to June 2026.
€1,432/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Sancerre€1,432/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Cher median€1,298/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,440/m²
54
€8.09/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.44 to €10.16/m² a month)
3.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.17/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,980
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Pays Fort Sancerrois Val de Loire
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth A
Sancerre loses fewer people than its age profile suggests, 68 per 100 expected, below Cher’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Sancerre is Ch Cosne Cours Sur Loire, 7.4 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 349 deaths here from 2016 to 2025; there were 322, 8% fewer. Life expectancy in Cher: 84 years for women and 78.4 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. For a family doctor, residents of Sancerre can choose among 5 GPs.
−32%deaths against expected, after care homesAHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw92
Adjusted68
Median town88
Expected100
5
GPs in Sancerre · 3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Cosne Cours Sur Loire
25.1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Bourges Jacques Coeur
84 · 78.4
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Cher, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income B+
21.2% of commuters in Sancerre go to work without a car, more than in Cher’s towns and across compared French towns
12.3% of the labour force were unemployed, close to Cher’s towns (11.7%) and above compared French towns (10.1%). After tax and benefits, the median income is €26,540 a year per consumption unit. Sancerre holds 1,600 jobs; 450 of its residents are in work, so 3.6 jobs each.
21%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving71%
On foot17%
Public transport4%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle1%
1,600
jobs based in Sancerre, 3.6 per working resident
12.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€26,540
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 78% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Old homes shape Sancerre: 35% were built before 1919, more than in Cher’s towns and across compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Sancerre: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level). Among the classé monuments here is Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-None. Per 10,000 residents, Sancerre counts 39 protected monuments, above Cher’s towns (5.8) and compared French towns (2.5) alike. Part of the town has been protected as a historic area since 2023.
Maison Farnault: Photo: Cjp24 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tour des Fiefs: Photo: Moreau.henri · CC BY-SA 3.0 · "Maison dite " maison Clément "": Photo: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Église Saint-Pierre ou Saint-Père-la-None: Photo: Tiggeryton · CC BY-SA 3.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Sancerre
Is Sancerre safe?
Sancerre has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 7.4 recorded violent incidents and 19.5 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Sancerre good?
They grade A−, better than 81% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Sancerre expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Sancerre grades A for cost of living.
About Sancerre
Commune in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
Sancerre is a commune of 1,269 people in the Communauté de communes Pays Fort Sancerrois Val de Loire. 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
1,269 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Pays Fort Sancerrois Val de Loire
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.
