Châteauroux grades C overall: better than 28% of compared French towns. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 10.3 recorded violent incidents and 23.2 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €1,339/m², a 70 m² home costs 3.8 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Châteauroux Métropole. Its strongest is walkability (A): 86% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 24% 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 Châteauroux 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 Châteauroux.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
On foot, Châteauroux works better than 93% of compared French towns
At the census, 23.7% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above both Indre’s towns (12.0%) and compared French towns (13.4%). 14.7% of the labour force are out of work. Châteauroux has 23,900 jobs for 16,000 working residents, 1.5 per worker.
24%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving72%
On foot13%
Public transport7%
Bicycle3%
Motorbike or scooter1%
23,900
jobs based in Châteauroux, 1.5 per working resident
14.7%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,710
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 93% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Châteauroux runs higher than in 88% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 1,430 offenses in the graded categories in Châteauroux in 2025. Of the graded crimes in Châteauroux, criminal damage came up most often (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, 0.1% of the index here.
10.3recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage604
Other physical violence197
Theft from vehicles175
Family violence164
Sexual violence111
Burglary103
Vehicle theft76
Theft without violence407
Fraud287
Drug use230
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.
10.3
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
23.2
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,430
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
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
HousingCost of living B+
Renting in Châteauroux costs an estimated advertised €10.33/m² a month, against €8.76/m² in Indre’s towns and €12.41/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Half the homes sold went for more than €1,339/m², close to Indre’s towns (€1,176/m²) and below compared French towns (€2,430/m²). In Châteauroux, houses go for €1,414/m² and apartments for €1,184/m².
€1,339/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Châteauroux€1,339/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Indre median€1,176/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,414/m²
968
Apartments
€1,184/m²
557
€10.33/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.14 to €13.11/m² a month)
3.8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.52/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,450
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Châteauroux Métropole
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C
Châteauroux’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 71% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 5,164 residents of Châteauroux died, against 4,881 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 6% more. Its eight care homes for older people (516 places) count their residents as Châteauroux’s; allowing for them, deaths were 4% below expected. The adjustment lowers most towns’ figures, so the comparison is what counts: the median of compared French towns is 12% below expected. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−4%deaths against expected, after care homesCHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw106
Adjusted96
Median town88
Expected100
33
GPs in Châteauroux · 2.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier
0.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier
84 · 76.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Indre, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
20 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2014
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 20 historic monuments in Châteauroux: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 15 inscrit (the second level). Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2014.
Église Saint-Martial: Photo: Croquant · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ancien couvent des Cordeliers: Photo: Travail personnel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ancienne porte de ville: Photo: Travail personnel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gérard Depardieu: Siebbi, CC BY 3.0 · Gabriel-Albert Aurier: Unknown Unknown . Upload, stitch, restoration by Jebulon, Public domain · Gilles Sunu: XIIIfromTOKYO, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Henri Gatien Bertrand: Paul Delaroche, Public domain · Kévin Sireau: Nicola, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christine Angot: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Châteauroux’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 Châteauroux
Is Châteauroux safe?
It grades D for safety, #7 of 11 in Indre. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 103 burglaries and 604 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Châteauroux good?
They grade C, better than 32% of compared French towns and #7 of 12 in Indre. The lycée stands out: 100% of 54 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé polyvalent Sainte-Solange in 2025, 3 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Châteauroux expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Châteauroux grades B+ for cost of living.
About Châteauroux
Commune in Indre, Centre-Val de Loire
Châteauroux is a commune of 42,963 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Châteauroux Métropole. 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.
