Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
1,498 people live in this town in Haute-Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Health is its strong suit (A+) — after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 40% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Fewer journeys need a car: 52% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 25% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At the median price of €2,035/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération du Puy-en-Velay. People aged 65 and over make up 36% of residents.
Figures: deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Aiguilhe has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
The one thing Aiguilhe does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Aiguilhe 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.
Aiguilhe has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Aiguilhe: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level).
The oldest protected part dates from the 11th century, and the first monument here was protected in 1840, on France’s very first list.
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Aiguilhe. Best known first.
AttractionCathédrale Notre-Dame du Puy-en-Velay900 m south, in Le Puy-en-Velay
MuseumMusée Crozatier1.7 km south, in Le Puy-en-Velay
Historic houseHôtel de Girardin et de Luzy800 m south, in Le Puy-en-VelayMonastery or conventMonastery or conventCouvent de la Visitation du Puy-en-Velay800 m south, in Le Puy-en-VelayMonastery or conventMonastery or conventCouvent Sainte-Claire1 km south, in Le Puy-en-VelayPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Aiguilhe.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Women in Haute-Loire live to 85.7 on average and men to 80 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. 130 deaths in Aiguilhe between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 218: 40% below. There are 5 general practitioners here.
Source: INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025; DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 · Licence Ouverte · Care-home places are adjusted for by TownRatings, using a model rather than an official statistic.
Unemployment stood at 8.5%, below both Haute-Loire’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (10.1%). After tax and benefits, the median income is €29,500 a year per consumption unit. Jobs located in Aiguilhe: 400, for 550 residents in work (0.7 each).
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
People aged 15 to 24 are 7.8% of the population. Children under 15 make up 13%, below both Haute-Loire’s towns (16%) and compared French towns (17%). The median resident of Aiguilhe is 55.6 years old.
55% women, 45% men
About 83 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Haute-Loire 51.9%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Aiguilhe | Haute-Loire median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 7.8% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 36% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 13% | 19% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 19% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 43% | 27% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Haute-Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Aiguilhe, 95.9% passed the bac, about level with Haute-Loire’s towns (95.3%) and above compared French towns (92.9%). Vocational results within 5 km: 93% passed the bac pro, of 228 candidates at 4 lycées.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Saint-Jacques de Compostelle - site Saint-Joseph PrivateNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 45 | 93%±0 pts |
| Lycée polyvalent privé Saint-Jacques de Compostelle PrivateNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 70 | 96%−1 pt |
| Collège Saint-Louis PrivateBest against expectations: 8 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 82 | 100%+8 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €2,035/m², comes from 39 sales of houses and apartments in Aiguilhe from July 2023 to June 2026. The sales split: 69% houses, the rest apartments. House rents are put at about €8.36/m² a month.
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Aiguilhe is Église Saint-Michel. The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments locally: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level). The oldest protected building goes back to the 11th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
The Culture ministry lists 5 historic monuments in Aiguilhe: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level).
Chapelle Saint-Clair: Photo: W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pont d'Estroulhas: Photo: Florian Pépellin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pont de Roderie: Photo: Accrochoc · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wikidata places 1 person here, but the articles don’t both confirm Aiguilhe as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiguilhe | 1,498 | — | — | B | — | A+ |
| Chadrac | 2,542 | 0.9 | — | B | — | A− |
| Le Puy-en-Velay | 18,540 | 1 | B | A− | D | C |
| Espaly-Saint-Marcel | 3,585 | 1.1 | A+ | A− | B+ | A− |
| Polignac | 2,819 | 1.7 | — | B+ | — | B |
| Vals-près-le-Puy | 3,395 | 1.7 | A+ | A− | A | A− |
| Brives-Charensac | 4,244 | 1.9 | A | A− | B+ | B |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Aiguilhe has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 3.4 recorded violent incidents and 8.8 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade A−, better than 77% of compared French towns. 96% of 70 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent privé Saint-Jacques de Compostelle 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.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,035/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Aiguilhe grades B for cost of living.
Commune in Haute-Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Aiguilhe is a commune of 1,498 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Puy-en-Velay. 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
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
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.