Valence grades D overall: better than 13% of compared French towns, and #32 of 36 in Drôme. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 13.6 recorded violent incidents and 25.6 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 €2,125/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Valence Romans Agglo. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 98% 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 Valence 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 Valence.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
On foot, Valence works better than 97% of compared French towns
33.1% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, above both Drôme’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%). Unemployment stands at 15.3%. Valence has 48,750 jobs for 25,250 working residents, 1.9 per worker.
33%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving62%
Public transport14%
On foot11%
Bicycle9%
Motorbike or scooter1%
48,750
jobs based in Valence, 1.9 per working resident
15.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,790
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 97% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Valence records more crime per resident than 95% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 2,397 offenses in the graded categories in Valence in 2025. Valence comes 34th of the 36 compared towns in Drôme on the Safety Grade.
13.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage762
Theft from vehicles439
Other physical violence327
Family violence325
Burglary213
Vehicle theft172
Sexual violence149
Armed robbery10
Theft without violence1,016
Drug use478
Fraud473
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.
13.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
25.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
2,397
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
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living C+
Valence gets a C+ for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €2,125/m², comes from 2,850 sales of houses and apartments in Valence from July 2023 to June 2026. In Valence, houses go for €2,551/m² and apartments for €2,008/m².
€2,125/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Valence€2,125/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Drôme median€2,388/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,551/m²
639
Apartments
€2,008/m²
2,211
€11.93/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.43 to €15.10/m² a month)
5.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€11.42/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,310
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Valence Romans Agglo
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C+
Valence’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 60% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 6,574 residents of Valence died, against 6,494 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 1% more. Its 10 care homes for older people (754 places) count their residents as Valence’s; allowing for them, deaths were 9% 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.
−9%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw101
Adjusted91
Median town88
Expected100
62
GPs in Valence · 3.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Valence
1 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
19 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2023
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 19 historic monuments in Valence: 8 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 11 inscrit (the second level). Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2023.
Cathédrale Saint-Apollinaire: Photo: Morburre · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ancienne abbaye de Saint-Ruf "le Haut": Photo: Morburre · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison des Têtes: Photo: Morburre · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chapelle des Cordeliers (ancienne): Photo: Morburre · CC BY-SA 3.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Valence
Is Valence safe?
It grades D for safety, #34 of 36 in Drôme. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 213 burglaries and 762 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Valence good?
They grade C, better than 26% of compared French towns and #15 of 32 in Drôme. 96% of 299 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général Camille Vernet in 2025, a point below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Valence expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,125/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €11.93/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Valence grades C+ for cost of living.
About Valence
Commune in Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Valence is a commune of 64,458 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Valence Romans Agglo. 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.
