Health is its strong suit (A+): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 42% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. It is strong on jobs & income as well: 1.1 jobs per working resident; 3.5% unemployment. Housing is expensive: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 10.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Second homes make up nearly four fifths of its housing.
Figures: deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Saint-Chaffrey 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.
Each subject compares Saint-Chaffrey 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 Saint-Chaffrey.
HealthHealth A+
Mortality in Saint-Chaffrey, once ages and care homes are allowed for, undercuts Hautes-Alpes’ towns and compared French towns: 58 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 120 residents of Saint-Chaffrey died, against 206 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 42% fewer. Life expectancy at birth in Hautes-Alpes is 86.1 years for women and 80.7 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. The nearest emergency department to Saint-Chaffrey is Centre hospitalier les Escartons A Briancon, 2.1 mi away.
−42%deaths against expected, after care homesA+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw58
Adjusted58
Median town88
Expected100
0
GPs in Saint-Chaffrey · 7.5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier les Escartons A Briancon
2.1 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
Homes in Saint-Chaffrey cost more than in Hautes-Alpes’ towns and across compared French towns, with a median sale of €3,764/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €15.08/m² a month, above both Hautes-Alpes’ towns (€12.78/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses accounted for 13% of sales, apartments for the rest. The market in Saint-Chaffrey: 217 sales of houses and apartments between July 2023 and June 2026.
€3,764/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Chaffrey€3,764/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Hautes-Alpes median€2,775/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Apartments
€3,756/m²
189
€15.08/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.46 to €19.85/m² a month)
10.4
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
Who lives here
Few people in Saint-Chaffrey are 15 to 24: 6.6%, fewer than in Hautes-Alpes’ towns and across compared French towns
Graduates make up 40% of adults. 32% of residents are 65 or over, above both Hautes-Alpes’ towns (29%) and compared French towns (22%). Under 15: 12% of residents.
53.8median age
Saint-ChaffreyHautes-Alpes medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
32%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma10%
CAP or BEP23%
Baccalauréat23%
Higher education40%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Hautes-Alpes 52.7%, France 51.8%.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
3 historic monuments, 2 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 12th century. Among the classé monuments in Saint-Chaffrey is Chapelle Saint-Arnould. The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments locally: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). 11% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Hautes-Alpes’ towns (7.5%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income A+
Unemployment in Saint-Chaffrey, 3.5%, runs below Hautes-Alpes’ towns and compared French towns
After tax and benefits, the median income is €27,580 a year per consumption unit. At the census, 17.2% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than Hautes-Alpes’ towns (23.1%) yet higher than compared French towns (13.4%).
17%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving76%
On foot10%
Public transport4%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter1%
750
jobs based in Saint-Chaffrey, 1.1 per working resident
3.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,580
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
6%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B
Walkability: better than 59% of compared French towns
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Chaffrey
Is Saint-Chaffrey safe?
Saint-Chaffrey has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 3.3 recorded violent incidents and 11.2 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Saint-Chaffrey good?
They grade B+, better than 67% of compared French towns. The lycée stands out: 100% of 207 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent d'altitude - Suzanne Joulié Roos in 2025, 2 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Saint-Chaffrey expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Chaffrey grades D for cost of living.
About Saint-Chaffrey
Commune in Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Saint-Chaffrey is a commune of 1,494 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
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.
