Pontarlier grades A− overall: better than 78% of compared French towns, and #10 of 28 in Doubs. Its weakest subject is cost of living (C+): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 5.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is walkability (A): 91% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 24% 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 Pontarlier 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 Pontarlier.
Work & commuteJobs & income A−
On foot, Pontarlier works better than 93% of compared French towns
At the census, 23.7% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above both Doubs’ towns (11.6%) and compared French towns (13.4%). The median disposable income is €28,590 a year per consumption unit. Pontarlier has 11,050 jobs for 8,300 working residents, 1.3 per worker.
24%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving73%
On foot18%
Bicycle4%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter0%
11,050
jobs based in Pontarlier, 1.3 per working resident
10.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€28,590
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 93% of compared French towns
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living C+
Renting in Pontarlier costs more than in Doubs’ towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €15.16/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
That puts Pontarlier above both Doubs’ towns (€10.97/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €2,665/m², comes from 880 sales of houses and apartments in Pontarlier from July 2023 to June 2026. Houses in Pontarlier sell for €3,085/m² and apartments for €2,584/m².
€2,665/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Pontarlier€2,665/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Doubs median€1,556/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,085/m²
139
Apartments
€2,584/m²
741
€15.16/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.76 to €19.55/m² a month)
5.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€16.99/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€31,400
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Grand Pontarlier
INSEE, census 2023 · Doubs median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth B−
Pontarlier’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 54% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 1,384 residents of Pontarlier died, against 1,551 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 11% fewer. The adjustment lowers most towns’ figures, so the comparison is what counts: the median of compared French towns is 12% below expected. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−11%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw89
Adjusted89
Median town88
Expected100
21
GPs in Pontarlier · 4.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Chi Hc site Rives du Doubs Pontarlier
0.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Chi Hc site Rives du Doubs Pontarlier
85.7 · 79.4
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Doubs, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Pontarlier has more crime per resident than 51% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 345 offenses in the graded categories in Pontarlier in 2025. For armed robbery, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 0.2% of the index here.
11.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearB−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage130
Family violence99
Other physical violence52
Sexual violence25
Burglary14
Theft from vehicles13
Vehicle theft12
Theft without violence130
Fraud107
Drug use70
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.
11.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
10.1
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
345
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
Chapelle des Annonciades (ancienne): Photo: Ludovic Péron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Saint-Bénigne: Photo: photography taken by Christophe.Finot · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Demeure de Sandon: Photo: Agnès Louvrier · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Porte Saint-Pierre: Photo: Arnaud 25 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lou Jeanmonnot: Pavel Hrdlička (Czech Wikipedia user Packa ), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vincent Defrasne: Jarle Vines Jarvin, CC BY 3.0 · Célia Aymonier: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · François Braud: Granada, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Anouk Faivre-Picon: Zian Cordier, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charles Antoine Morand: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Pontarlier’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 Pontarlier
Is Pontarlier safe?
It grades B− for safety, #19 of 28 in Doubs. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 14 burglaries and 130 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Pontarlier good?
They grade A−, better than 79% of compared French towns and #6 of 33 in Doubs. The lycée stands out: 100% of 111 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général et technologique privé Les Augustins in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Pontarlier expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,665/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Pontarlier grades C+ for cost of living.
About Pontarlier
Commune in Doubs, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Pontarlier is a commune of 18,067 people in the Communauté de communes du Grand Pontarlier. 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.
