Real strengths, and real weak spots. Walkability is its strong suit — 85% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 33% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. It also does well on schools: bac results 2 points above the expected rate; brevet results 2.5 points below the expected rate. The trade-off is cost of living: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 8.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Police record more crime here than in most towns: an average of 10.5 recorded violent incidents and 18.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. All told, that adds up to a B overall and a rank of #4 of 6 in Hautes-Alpes. Nationally, it does better than 55% of compared French towns.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior).
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 Briançon 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.
Église des Cordeliers (ancienne): Photo: Édouard Hue ( User:EdouardHue ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Immeuble dit ancienne maison du Roi, actuellement Palais de Justice: Photo: MOSSOT · CC BY 3.0 · Anciennes fortifications de la Ville Haute: Photo: c299792458 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église paroissiale Notre-Dame, Saint-Nicolas (ancienne collégiale): Photo: LPLT · CC BY-SA 3.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Briançon.
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 1987, and 22 historic monuments
22historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Part of the town has been protected as a historic area since 1987. The earliest of these monuments dates from the 14th century. Among the classé monuments in Briançon is Église des Cordeliers (ancienne). 9.8% of homes date from before 1919.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income B+
More commuters in Briançon walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Hautes-Alpes’ towns or compared French towns: 32.6%
33%walk, cycle or take transit
The unemployment rate comes to 7.4%. Briançon holds 6,850 jobs; 5,200 of its residents are in work, so 1.3 jobs each. No commute at all: 4.4% of working residents in the town at the census.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving62%
On foot21%
Public transport7%
Bicycle5%
Motorbike or scooter1%
6,850
jobs based in Briançon, 1.3 per working resident
7.4%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,890
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 91% 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 Briançon than in Hautes-Alpes’ towns or across compared French towns: €14.36/m² a month
€3,114/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The split in Briançon: €3,834/m² for houses, €3,029/m² for apartments. 763 sales of houses and apartments locally, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €3,114/m². The sales split: 12% houses, the rest apartments.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Briançon€3,114/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Hautes-Alpes median€2,775/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,834/m²
94
Apartments
€3,029/m²
669
€14.36/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.88 to €18.96/m² a month)
8.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.51/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,380
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Briançonnais
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Briançon records more crime per resident than 79% of compared French towns
10.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes in Briançon. Over 2025, Briançon logged 372 recorded offenses. On the Safety Grade, Briançon ranks 5th of the 6 compared towns in Hautes-Alpes.
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage187
Other physical violence55
Family violence52
Sexual violence37
Theft from vehicles19
Burglary12
Vehicle theft10
Fraud109
Theft without violence79
Drug use52
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.
10.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
18.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
372
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.3%
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, 0.3% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Schools
Bac results near Briançon run high: 100.0% passed, above Hautes-Alpes’ towns and compared French towns
100%passed the bac (general and technological)A−School Grade
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Its schools’ results rank #3 of 6 in Hautes-Alpes. The brevet pass rate near Briançon is 90.5%, close to Hautes-Alpes’ towns (91.0%) and above compared French towns (87.5%). At the general lycée, 100% of 207 candidates passed the bac, 2 points above the expected rate.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Fewer deaths than expected: Briançon is below 69% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
−19%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
After the care-home adjustment, Briançon’s deaths ran at 81 per 100 expected, near Hautes-Alpes’ towns (84) and lower than compared French towns (88). France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,237 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,139, 8% fewer. Average lifespans in Hautes-Alpes: 86.1 years for women, 80.7 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. There are 18 general practitioners locally.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw92
Adjusted81
Median town88
Expected100
18
GPs in Briançon · 5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier les Escartons A Briancon
0.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier les Escartons A Briancon
86.1 · 80.7
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Hautes-Alpes, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Briançon is a graduates’ town: 40% hold a degree, more than in Hautes-Alpes’ towns and across compared French towns
44.9median age
The share of residents under 15 is 15%. 21% of residents are 65 or over, below Hautes-Alpes’ towns (29%) and close to compared French towns (22%). People aged 15 to 24 are a tenth of the population.
BriançonHautes-Alpes medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
21%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma14%
CAP or BEP21%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education40%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Hautes-Alpes 52.7%, France 51.8%.
Richard Jouve: Stein Langørgen, CC BY 4.0 · Estelle Alphand: Tournasol7, CC BY 4.0 · Nils Allègre: Patrbe, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mathilde Cini: DarDarCH, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cédric Di Dio Balsamo: Benj05, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Briançon
Commune in Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Briançon is a commune of 11,411 people in the Communauté de communes du Briançonnais. 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
Population
11,411 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes du Briançonnais
Département
Hautes-Alpes (05)
Région
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Area
10.9 sq mi (28.3 km²)
INSEE code
05023
Questions about Briançon
Is Briançon safe?
It grades C− for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 12 burglaries and 187 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Briançon good?
They grade A−, better than 77% of compared French towns and #3 of 6 in Hautes-Alpes. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Briançon expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €3,114/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Briançon grades D for cost of living.
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.
