Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 465 in Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Merlas is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
The one thing Merlas does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Merlas as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Église Saint-Georges, in Saint-Geoire-en-Valdaine, 1.5 mi away.
39% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Merlas.
For Merlas, that is below both Isère’s towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%). Children are 16% of the town.
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Isère 51.3%, France 51.8%.
| Merlas | Isère median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 6.9% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 23% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 22% | 21% | 22% |
| No diploma | 20% | 19% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 24% | 24% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 31% | 33% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Isère median and France median: the median of compared communes
Merlas sits below both Isère’s towns (14.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%) on this measure. Merlas has 50 jobs for 200 working residents, 0.1 per worker. Unemployment stands at 7.5%.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
That puts Merlas below both Isère’s towns (€13.13/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage and other places to visit in and near Merlas. Best known first.
Nothing in Merlas is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Merlas yet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merlas | 465 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Saint-Étienne-de-Crossey | 2,619 | 4.5 | — | C | — | A− |
| Saint-Laurent-du-Pont | 4,490 | 4.8 | B | B | B | D |
| Chirens | 2,546 | 5.5 | — | B− | — | C− |
| Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin | 3,602 | 6.3 | C+ | B+ | D | B+ |
| Voiron | 21,847 | 6.5 | B | B− | C− | B− |
| Coublevie | 5,520 | 6.5 | A− | C− | B | B+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Merlas is a commune of 465 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Voironnais. 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) · 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 October 30, 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.