Saint-Benoît grades D− overall: better than 5% of compared French towns, and #17 of 22 in Réunion. Its weakest subject is health (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 20% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €1,833/m², a 70 m² home costs 7.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST). Its strongest is walkability (B+): 76% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 13% 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 Saint-Benoît 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-Benoît.
HealthHealth D−
Allowing for age and care homes, Saint-Benoît sees more deaths than Réunion’s towns or compared French towns: 120 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
2,388 deaths in Saint-Benoît between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 1,879: 27% above. In Réunion, life expectancy at birth reaches 84.5 years for women and 78.2 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. 30 GPs practise in the town.
+20%deaths against expected, after care homesD−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw127
Adjusted120
Median town88
Expected100
30
GPs in Saint-Benoît · 3.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Gher Saint Benoit
3.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Gher Saint Benoit
84.5 · 78.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Réunion, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
A town of families: 25% of people in Saint-Benoît are under 15, more than in both Réunion’s towns and compared French towns
13% of residents have reached 65. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 14% of residents, higher than both Réunion’s towns (13%) and compared French towns (11%). The median resident of Saint-Benoît is 35.5 years old.
35.5median age
Saint-BenoîtRéunion medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
14%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma39%
CAP or BEP24%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education15%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Réunion 51.8%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Réunion median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living D
The estimated advertised rent in Saint-Benoît is €12.05/m² a month, against €14.14/m² in Réunion’s towns and €12.41/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
298 sales of houses and apartments in Saint-Benoît, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,833/m². Apartments in Saint-Benoît sell for €1,493/m², houses for €1,954/m². Renting a house costs an estimated €11.32/m² a month.
€1,833/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Benoît€1,833/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Réunion median€2,445/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,954/m²
255
Apartments
€1,493/m²
43
€12.05/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.58 to €15.16/m² a month)
7.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€11.32/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€16,920
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST)
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
More crime per resident in Saint-Benoît than in 72% of compared French towns
More of the graded crimes in Saint-Benoît were other physical violence than anything else (2025). For 2025, the figures show 1,166 offenses locally. Violence against people averaged 15.7 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 11. This Réunion town comes 21st of the 22 compared towns in Réunion on the Safety Grade.
15.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Other physical violence318
Criminal damage294
Family violence285
Sexual violence106
Theft from vehicles79
Burglary65
Vehicle theft19
Theft without violence178
Drug use153
Fraud106
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.
15.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
11
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,166
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
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 · 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, 0.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
Saint-Benoît has higher unemployment than Réunion’s towns or compared French towns: 32.0%
Half of residents lived on more than €16,460 a year per consumption unit, below both Réunion’s towns (€19,045) and compared French towns (€25,970). For its 10,700 residents in work, Saint-Benoît has 10,800 jobs: 1 each. Bus, tram or train carried 5.2% of working residents in Saint-Benoît to work at the census.
13%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving82%
On foot7%
Public transport5%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle1%
10,800
jobs based in Saint-Benoît, 1 per working resident
32.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€16,460
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B+
Walkability: better than 69% of compared French towns
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
8 historic monuments, 4 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 19th century. Among the classé monuments in Saint-Benoît is Domaine de la Confiance ou domaine Carrère. 0.4% of its homes were built before 1919, close to Réunion’s towns (0.4%) and below compared French towns (7.4%).
Domaine de la Confiance ou domaine Carrère: Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pont suspendu de la rivière de l'Est: Photo: B.navez · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Eglise paroissiale de Saint-Benoît: Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 4.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Benoît
Is Saint-Benoît safe?
It grades C for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 65 burglaries and 294 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Benoît good?
They grade B+, better than 65% of compared French towns and #9 of 24 in Réunion. The lycée stands out: 93% of 255 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général et technologique Jean-Claude Fruteau in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Saint-Benoît expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,833/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Saint-Benoît grades D for cost of living.
About Saint-Benoît
Commune in Réunion
Saint-Benoît is a commune of 38,604 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST). 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
38,604 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale de la Réunion Est (CIREST)
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.
