Palaiseau grades B overall: better than 63% of compared French towns, and #16 of 91 in Essonne. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 9.1 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 49% 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 Palaiseau 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 Palaiseau.
Work & commuteJobs & income A
More commuters in Palaiseau walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Essonne’s towns or compared French towns: 49.5%
For Palaiseau, that is above both Essonne’s towns (25.8%) and compared French towns (13.4%). The median disposable income is €31,460 a year per consumption unit. Palaiseau has 18,550 jobs for 17,450 working residents, 1.1 per worker.
49%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving45%
Public transport39%
On foot7%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter2%
18,550
jobs based in Palaiseau, 1.1 per working resident
9.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€31,460
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
HousingCost of living D
Estimated advertised rents run higher in Palaiseau than in Essonne’s towns or across compared French towns: €19.48/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Palaiseau sits above both Essonne’s towns (€17.41/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) on this measure. The median price, €4,000/m², comes from 1,047 sales of houses and apartments in Palaiseau from July 2023 to June 2026. In Palaiseau, houses go for €4,571/m² and apartments for €3,777/m².
€4,000/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Palaiseau€4,000/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Essonne median€3,237/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€4,571/m²
325
Apartments
€3,777/m²
722
€19.48/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€16.35 to €23.21/m² a month)
9.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€17.30/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€30,880
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Communauté Paris-Saclay
INSEE, census 2023 · Essonne median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth A−
Fewer deaths than Palaiseau’s ages would predict, 74 per 100 expected, under Essonne’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
On this, Palaiseau is below both Essonne’s towns (79) and compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 1,911 residents of Palaiseau died, against 2,482 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 23% fewer. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−26%deaths against expected, after care homesA−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw77
Adjusted74
Median town88
Expected100
13
GPs in Palaiseau · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Paris Saclay
2.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Hopital Paris Saclay
86.4 · 82.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Essonne, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Palaiseau: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level). 2.6% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Palaiseau has more crime per resident than 56% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 813 offenses in the graded categories in Palaiseau 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.
6.8recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage282
Family violence115
Burglary109
Sexual violence80
Other physical violence79
Vehicle theft74
Theft from vehicles74
Theft without violence277
Fraud246
Drug use117
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.
6.8
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
15.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
813
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
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Palaiseau
Is Palaiseau safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #39 of 91 in Essonne. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 109 burglaries and 282 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Palaiseau good?
They grade C+, better than 43% of compared French towns and #16 of 94 in Essonne. 92% of 171 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Camille Claudel in 2025, 6 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Palaiseau expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €4,000/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Palaiseau grades D for cost of living.
About Palaiseau
Commune in Essonne, Île-de-France
Palaiseau is a commune of 37,471 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Communauté Paris-Saclay. 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.
