Crime is the sore point: an average of 10 recorded violent incidents and 25.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. It also trails on jobs & income — 1.8 jobs per working resident; 18.8% unemployment. Cost of living is its strong suit — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 3.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. The overall grade lands at C+, better than 42% of compared French towns. That places it #16 of 36 in Drôme.
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 Saint-Vallier 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 Saint-Vallier.
Safety
Crime per resident in Saint-Vallier runs higher than in 92% of compared French towns
Jobs outnumber working residents in Saint-Vallier (2,550 to 1,400): it draws people in from around. The police record for Saint-Vallier lists 126 offenses in 2025. Also worth knowing: more of the graded crimes here were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
10recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage53
Family violence22
Vehicle theft14
Other physical violence11
Theft from vehicles11
Sexual violence8
Burglary7
Theft without violence35
Drug use24
Fraud23
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
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
25.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
126
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.7%
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 · For armed robbery, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 0.7% of the index here. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living A
Homes in Saint-Vallier cost less than in Drôme’s towns or across compared French towns, with a median sale of €1,300/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In Saint-Vallier, houses go for €1,740/m² and apartments for €1,168/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €9.06/m² a month, below both Drôme’s towns (€11.33/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Sales here from July 2023 to June 2026: 154 houses and apartments.
€1,300/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Vallier€1,300/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Drôme median€2,388/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,740/m²
60
Apartments
€1,168/m²
94
€9.06/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.27 to €11.30/m² a month)
3.7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.99/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,770
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Porte de DrômArdèche
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Saint-Vallier has higher unemployment than Drôme’s towns or compared French towns: 18.8%
Per consumption unit, the median disposable income is €20,700 a year. Just over a fifth of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, above Drôme’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike. At the census, 3.4% of working residents in Saint-Vallier didn’t travel to work at all.
22%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving73%
On foot13%
Public transport7%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
2,550
jobs based in Saint-Vallier, 1.8 per working resident
18.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€20,700
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 87% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C
Fewer deaths than expected in Saint-Vallier, 95 per 100, but more than in Drôme’s towns or compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
3 GPs practise in Saint-Vallier. Average lifespans in Drôme: 85.7 years for women, 80.6 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. 859 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 597: 44% above.
−5%deaths against expected, after care homesCHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw144
Adjusted95
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Saint-Vallier · 2 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopitaux Drome Nord Saint Vallier
8.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Ardeche Nord
85.7 · 80.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Drôme, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
2 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2020
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Saint-Vallier is Château et ses jardins à la française. The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments locally: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2020. The earliest of these monuments dates from the 12th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Saint-Vallier skews young, with 12% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than Drôme’s towns or compared French towns
Retirement age and beyond: 25% of residents are 65 or older. Children under 15 make up 16%, below Drôme’s towns (18%) and close to compared French towns (17%). Among adults, 22% have a degree.
45.2median age
Saint-VallierDrôme medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma31%
CAP or BEP22%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education22%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 89 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Drôme 51.8%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Drôme median and France median: the median of compared communes
Schools
83.0% of candidates passed the brevet at the collège within 5 km, 4 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Ranked by results, schools here are #8 of 32 in Drôme. Near Saint-Vallier, 93.3% of lycée candidates passed the bac, in line with Drôme’s towns (93.3%) and compared French towns (92.9%).
97%passed the bac (general and technological)B−School Grade
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Vallier
Is Saint-Vallier safe?
It grades D for safety, #32 of 36 in Drôme. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 7 burglaries and 53 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Vallier good?
They grade B−, better than 52% of compared French towns and #8 of 32 in Drôme. The lycée stands out: 97% of 125 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Henri Laurens in 2025, 3 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Saint-Vallier expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Saint-Vallier grades A for cost of living.
About Saint-Vallier
Commune in Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Saint-Vallier is a commune of 4,027 people in the Communauté de communes Porte de DrômArdèche. 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.
