Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 4,328 residents in Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Villard-de-Lans does the important things well, at a cost. The town ranks #4 of 96 in Isère, with an A+ overall. Nationally, it does better than 96% of compared French towns. Its strongest subject is schools (A+): bac results 2 points above the expected rate; brevet results 4 points above the expected rate. Buying in is costly: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 8.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
The 3 things Villard-de-Lans does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Villard-de-Lans 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.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry lists no building in Villard-de-Lans as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Croix du cimetière de Genevrey, in Vif, 5.7 mi away.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Villard-de-Lans.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Villard-de-Lans, 100.0% passed the bac, above both Isère’s towns (93.7%) and compared French towns (92.9%). The town’s schools place #2 of 102 in Isère on results.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Jean PrévostNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 170 | 99%+4 pts |
| Lycée climatique Jean PrévostNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 136 | 100%+2 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Police and gendarmerie recorded 64 offenses in Villard-de-Lans in 2025. Graded property crimes ran at 11.8 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 2.9 (2023–2025 average). Of the graded crimes in the town, theft from vehicles came up most often (2025).
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.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · When family violence, other physical violence and burglary number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (16.7% of the index here). As that share tops 10%, this Safety Grade carries more doubt than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €14.61/m² a month, higher than both Isère’s towns (€13.13/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). In Villard-de-Lans, houses go for €4,491/m² and apartments for €3,475/m². Renting a house costs an estimated €9.16/m² a month.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €4,491/m² | 70 |
| Apartments | €3,475/m² | 517 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
At the census, nearly a quarter of commuters got to work without a car. Half of residents lived on more than €28,270 a year per consumption unit, above both Isère’s towns (€27,110) and compared French towns (€25,970).
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
374 deaths in Villard-de-Lans between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 447: 16% below. The nearest emergency department to Villard-de-Lans is Clinique des Cedres, 9.8 mi away. For a family doctor, residents of Villard-de-Lans can choose among 8 GPs. Average lifespans in Isère: 86.8 years for women, 81.6 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
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.
9.3% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Children under 15 make up 14%, lower than both Isère’s towns (18%) and compared French towns (17%). Over-65s are 28% of the population.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Isère 51.3%, France 51.8%.
| Villard-de-Lans | Isère median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 28% | 21% | 22% |
| No diploma | 11% | 19% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 22% | 24% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 44% | 33% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Isère median and France median: the median of compared communes
Museums, other places to visit and family days out in and near Villard-de-Lans. Best known first.
MuseumMaison du patrimoine de Villard-de-Lansin townAttractionAttractionLocation d'ânesin townTheme parkTheme parkLudi Parcin townArt galleryArt galleryHeimdall Galleryin townAttractionAttractionRoche Pointuein townPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Nothing in Villard-de-Lans is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
2 notable people were born in Villard-de-Lans.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villard-de-Lans | 4,328 | — | A+ | C− | A− | B+ |
| Lans-en-Vercors | 2,751 | 4 | — | C− | — | A− |
| Vif | 8,530 | 5.9 | B− | D | B+ | B |
| Autrans-Méaudre en Vercors | 2,936 | 6.1 | — | B− | — | A− |
| Varces-Allières-et-Risset | 8,542 | 6.4 | C+ | D | C | A− |
| Claix | 7,836 | 6.9 | B− | D | C+ | A− |
| Saint-Georges-de-Commiers | 2,699 | 7.8 | — | C− | — | B+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades A− for safety, #8 of 96 in Isère.
They grade A+, better than 97% of compared French towns and #2 of 102 in Isère. The lycée stands out: 100% of 136 candidates passed the bac at Lycée climatique Jean Prévost 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.
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Villard-de-Lans grades C− for cost of living.
Commune in Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Villard-de-Lans is a commune of 4,328 people in the Communauté de communes du Massif du Vercors. 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.