Cayenne has no overall grade because cost of living and walkability aren’t graded here. Its weakest subject is safety (D−): an average of 25.7 recorded violent incidents and 25 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Its strongest is schools (B): bac results at the expected rate; brevet results 19.4 points above the expected rate.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Cayenne 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.
Musée des cultures guyanaises: Ayshka Sene, Sophie Fuggle, Claire Reddleman, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cayenne.
Who lives here
Children make up 26% of Cayenne, above compared French towns
Degrees are held by just over a fifth of adults, below compared French towns (30%). Over-65s are a tenth of the population. People aged 15 to 24 are 17% of the population.
30median age
CayenneFrance median
Ages · share of residents
17%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma42%
CAP or BEP16%
Baccalauréat16%
Higher education21%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 85 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · France median: the median of compared communes (French Guiana has none of its own)
Safety
Cayenne records more crime per resident than 99% of compared French towns
Cayenne has 30,150 jobs for 19,450 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work. Police and gendarmerie recorded 3,120 offenses in the town in 2025. In 2025, other physical violence led the graded crimes here.
25.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearD−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Other physical violence695
Family violence530
Theft from vehicles489
Criminal damage456
Vehicle theft327
Burglary265
Sexual violence194
Armed robbery164
Theft without violence575
Fraud241
Drug use166
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.
25.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
25
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
3,120
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 · 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.
HealthHealth D−
Deaths in Cayenne run above what its ages would predict: 129 per 100 expected, more than compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Average lifespans in French Guiana: 82.2 years for women, 77.1 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. From 2016 to 2025, 3,555 residents of Cayenne died, against 2,558 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 39% more. There are 44 general practitioners here.
+29%deaths against expected, after care homesD−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw139
Adjusted129
Median town88
Expected100
44
GPs in Cayenne · 2.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Site de Cayenne
1.5 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Site de Cayenne
82.2 · 77.1
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, French Guiana, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
43 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2019
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Cayenne is Immeuble de l'ancienne douane. Per 10,000 residents, Cayenne counts 6.9 protected monuments, higher than compared French towns (2.5). Since 2019, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area. The oldest protected building goes back to the 18th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
Bac results near Cayenne run low: 81.7% passed, below compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The bac pro: 69% of 532 candidates passed at the 4 vocational lycées within 5 km. Four in five candidates passed the brevet at the collèges within 5 km of Cayenne, lower than compared French towns (87.5%). By results, schools here place #2 of 7 in French Guiana.
90%passed the bac (general and technological)BSchool Grade
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Housing
Renting in Cayenne costs more than in compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €16.60/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €2,682/m², comes from 834 sales of houses and apartments in Cayenne from July 2023 to June 2026. The split in the town: €2,590/m² for houses, €2,703/m² for apartments. Houses accounted for 26% of sales, apartments for the rest.
€2,682/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Cayenne€2,682/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,590/m²
218
Apartments
€2,703/m²
616
€16.60/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€13.02 to €21.18/m² a month)
€16.36/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
Florent Malouda: Stanislav Vedmid, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christiane Taubira: EU2016 NL from The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 · Claude Dambury: Montserrat Fitó, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kevin Séraphin: Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Léon-Gontran Damas: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Mehdy Metella: Voltmetro, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cayenne’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 Cayenne
Is Cayenne safe?
It grades D− for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 265 burglaries and 456 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Cayenne good?
They grade B, better than 60% of compared French towns and #2 of 7 in French Guiana. 96% of 138 candidates passed the bac at Externat Saint-Joseph de Cluny in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
About Cayenne
Commune in French Guiana
Cayenne is a commune of 62,675 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Centre Littoral. 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.
