Arpajon grades C− overall: better than 23% of compared French towns, and #75 of 91 in Essonne. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 7.8 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 98% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 37% 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 Arpajon 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 Arpajon.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
37.5% of commuters in Arpajon go to work without a car, more than in both Essonne’s towns and compared French towns
11.6% of people in the labour force have no job. Half of residents lived on more than €24,340 a year per consumption unit, lower than both Essonne’s towns (€29,720) and compared French towns (€25,970). For its 5,550 residents in work, Arpajon has 5,550 jobs: 1 each.
37%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving58%
Public transport27%
On foot8%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
5,550
jobs based in Arpajon, 1 per working resident
11.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,340
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 98% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living D
Median price in Arpajon: €3,109/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €17.09/m² a month, about level with Essonne’s towns (€17.41/m²) and above compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses were 23% of what sold. A house rents for an estimated €14.54/m² a month.
€3,109/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Arpajon€3,109/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Essonne median€3,237/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,130/m²
95
Apartments
€3,092/m²
318
€17.09/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€14.66 to €19.91/m² a month)
7.8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.54/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€27,750
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Arpajon records more crime per resident than four in five compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 354 offenses in Arpajon in 2025. Each year (2023–2025 average), violence against people came to 10.6 per 1,000 residents and the graded property crimes to 20.8. In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes locally.
10.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage127
Family violence46
Sexual violence42
Burglary42
Other physical violence39
Vehicle theft37
Theft from vehicles21
Theft without violence81
Fraud77
Drug use55
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.
10.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
20.8
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
354
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.4%
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 · Small counts of armed robbery go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 0.4% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Who lives here
A younger town: only 17% of residents are 65 or over
People aged 15 to 24 make up just over a tenth of the town. Degrees are held by just over a third of adults, below Essonne’s towns (39%) but above compared French towns (30%). Residents of Arpajon have a median age of 37.1.
37.1median age
ArpajonEssonne medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma21%
CAP or BEP19%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education35%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Essonne 51.3%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Essonne median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth B+
Fewer deaths than expected: Arpajon is below 71% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Arpajon has 7 family doctors. Its two care homes for older people (214 places) count their residents as Arpajon’s; allowing for them, deaths were 20% below expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 897 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 872, 3% fewer. In Essonne, life expectancy at birth reaches 86.4 years for women and 82.2 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France.
−20%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw97
Adjusted80
Median town88
Expected100
7
GPs in Arpajon · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.3 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier
0.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier
86.4 · 82.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Essonne, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
77.8% of candidates passed the brevet at the five collèges within 5 km, 7.6 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The bac pass rate near Arpajon is 94.5%, higher than both Essonne’s towns (91.1%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Its schools’ results rank #18 of 94 in Essonne.
98%passed the bac (general and technological)C+School Grade
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Arpajon
Is Arpajon safe?
It grades C− for safety, #84 of 91 in Essonne. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 42 burglaries and 127 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Arpajon good?
They grade C+, better than 42% of compared French towns and #18 of 94 in Essonne. The lycée stands out: 97% of 361 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Edmond Michelet 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 Arpajon expensive to live in?
By type: houses €3,130/m² (95 sales), apartments €3,092/m² (318 sales). Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Arpajon grades D for cost of living.
About Arpajon
Commune in Essonne, Île-de-France
Arpajon is a commune of 11,698 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération. 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.
