Crest grades D overall: better than 15% of compared French towns, and #29 of 36 in Drôme. Its weakest subject is safety (C−): an average of 10.7 recorded violent incidents and 21.4 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 €2,302/m², a 70 m² home costs 6.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté de communes du Crestois et de Pays de Saillans Cœur de Drôme. Its strongest is walkability (A): 83% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 33% 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 Crest 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.
Hazard riskNot graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas–
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Château · Classé · Photo: L’auteur n’a pas pu être identifié automatiquement. Il est supposé qu'il s'agit de : Philipendula (étant donné la revendication de droit d’auteur). · CC BY 2.5
Crest’s story
Crest in pictures
The Culture ministry lists 8 historic monuments in Crest: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 6 inscrit (the second level).
That’s 9.2 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 84% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5.
The oldest protected part dates from the 10th century; the first monument here was protected in 1877.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
1975First protected: Maison de la Poste
1986Most recently protected: Chapelle des Cordeliers (ancienne)
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Crest.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
33.4% of commuters in Crest go to work without a car, more than in Drôme’s towns and compared French towns
Crest sits above both Drôme’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%) on this measure. 12.9% of the labour force are out of work. Crest has 4,750 jobs for 3,400 working residents, 1.4 per worker.
33%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving59%
Bicycle14%
On foot13%
Public transport6%
Motorbike or scooter1%
4,750
jobs based in Crest, 1.4 per working resident
12.9%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,400
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 88% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crest records more crime per resident than 85% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 292 offenses in the graded categories in Crest in 2025. Of the graded crimes in Crest, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
10.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage140
Other physical violence36
Family violence30
Sexual violence25
Theft from vehicles21
Burglary20
Vehicle theft20
Armed robbery0
Theft without violence99
Fraud58
Drug use21
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.
10.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
21.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
292
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
History
Crest keeps more of its old housing than Drôme or compared French towns: 18% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
That puts Crest above both Drôme’s towns (8.7%) and compared French towns (7.4%). Crest has 9.2 protected monuments for every 10,000 residents. The Culture ministry lists 8 historic monuments in Crest: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 6 inscrit (the second level).
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Crest skews older, with 28% of residents 65 or over, more than Drôme’s towns or compared French towns
In the comparison, Crest comes above both Drôme’s towns (23%) and compared French towns (22%). 8.8% of residents are aged 15 to 24.
46.7median age
CrestDrôme medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
28%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma18%
CAP or BEP20%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education39%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 87 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Drôme 51.8%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Drôme median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living C
Crest gets a C for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €2,302/m², comes from 308 sales of houses and apartments in Crest from July 2023 to June 2026. Houses in Crest sell for €2,731/m² and apartments for €1,985/m².
€2,302/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Crest€2,302/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Drôme median€2,388/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,731/m²
164
Apartments
€1,985/m²
144
€11.18/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.72 to €14.35/m² a month)
6.7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.36/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,880
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Crestois et de Pays de Saillans Cœur de Drôme
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B−
Crest’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 53% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 1,195 residents of Crest died, against 1,128 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 6% more. Its three care homes for older people (217 places) count their residents as Crest’s; allowing for them, deaths were 11% below expected. 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
Raw106
Adjusted89
Median town88
Expected100
10
GPs in Crest · 2.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Crest
13.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Valence
85.7 · 80.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Drôme, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Église Saint-Sauveur: Photo: Kvardek du · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chapelle des Cordeliers (ancienne): Photo: Remi Mathis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison du 16e siècle ou maison Breyton: Photo: Remi Mathis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chapelle de la Visitation (ancienne) , actuellement chapelle de l'hôpital: Photo: Celeda · CC BY-SA 4.0
Élisabeth Revol: Carouse69 this is not true:(, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maurice Long: Lectures pour tous, Public domain · Patrice Faure: Prefpolice, CC BY 4.0 · Antoine Digonet: Nom indiqué entre l'image et la légende, Public domain · Ivan Fayard: Barbara Poniatowska-Demurtas, CC BY-SA 3.0
Crest’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 Crest
Is Crest safe?
It grades C− for safety, #29 of 36 in Drôme. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 20 burglaries and 140 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Crest good?
They grade C, better than 26% of compared French towns and #17 of 32 in Drôme. The lycée stands out: 98% of 54 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent privé Saint-Louis 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 Crest 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 €2,302/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €11.18/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Crest grades C for cost of living.
About Crest
Commune in Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Crest is a commune of 8,658 people in the Communauté de communes du Crestois et de Pays de Saillans Cœur de Drôme. 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
8,658 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes du Crestois et de Pays de Saillans Cœur de Drôme
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.
