Saint-Denis grades low on several counts. The weak point is cost of living (D−) — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 9.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. The town’s overall grade is D, better than 12% of compared French towns. Its place in the ranking is #8 of 22 in Réunion. Jobs and pay trail most towns: 1.3 jobs per working resident; 25.3% unemployment. Fewer journeys need a car: 92% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 24% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 5% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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-Denis 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-Denis.
HousingCost of living D−
Estimated advertised rents run higher in Saint-Denis than in Réunion’s towns or across compared French towns: €15.09/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
3,860 sales of houses and apartments in Saint-Denis, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €2,654/m². Apartments in Saint-Denis sell for €2,583/m², houses for €3,156/m². House rents are put at about €14.92/m² a month.
€2,654/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Denis€2,654/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Réunion median€2,445/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,156/m²
878
Apartments
€2,583/m²
2,982
€15.09/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.47 to €19.86/m² a month)
9.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.92/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€20,330
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale du Nord de la Réunion (CINOR)
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income D
23.8% of commuters in Saint-Denis go to work without a car, more than in Réunion’s towns and across compared French towns
Unemployment stood at 25.3%, between Réunion’s towns (27.4%) and compared French towns (10.1%). After tax and benefits, the median income is €20,240 a year per consumption unit. No commute at all: 2.3% of working residents in Saint-Denis at the census.
24%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving71%
Public transport12%
On foot9%
Motorbike or scooter3%
Bicycle3%
69,300
jobs based in Saint-Denis, 1.3 per working resident
25.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€20,240
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
2%
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
HealthHealth D
More deaths than expected: Saint-Denis is above 87% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 8,634 deaths in Saint-Denis from 2016 to 2025; there were 9,590, 11% more. After the care-home adjustment, Saint-Denis’ deaths ran at 105 per 100 expected, below Réunion’s towns (113) but above compared French towns (88). In Réunion, women can expect to live 84.5 years and men 78.2 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. There are 157 general practitioners here.
+5%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw111
Adjusted105
Median town88
Expected100
157
GPs in Saint-Denis · 4.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Chu site Felix Guyon Saint Denis
0.8 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Clinique Sainte Clotilde
84.5 · 78.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Réunion, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Saint-Denis skews young, with 15% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than in Réunion’s towns and across compared French towns
Children are 21% of the town. Degrees are held by 29% of adults, higher than Réunion’s towns (21%) and near compared French towns (30%). 15% of residents are 65 or over.
37median age
Saint-DenisRéunion medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
15%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma30%
CAP or BEP17%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education29%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 87 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
History
66 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2013
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Saint-Denis is Résidence du premier Président de la Cour d'Appel. The earliest of these monuments dates from the 17th century. Since 2013, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area. Per 10,000 residents, Saint-Denis counts 4.2 protected monuments, higher than both Réunion’s towns (1.5) and compared French towns (2.5).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
85.7% of candidates passed the brevet at the 13 collèges within 5 km, 5.4 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
By results, schools here place #10 of 24 in Réunion. Near Saint-Denis, 90.8% of lycée candidates passed the bac, about level with Réunion’s towns (90.8%) and below compared French towns (92.9%).
95%passed the bac (general and technological)BSchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Saint-Denis ranks above 62% of compared French towns for crime per resident
With 69,300 jobs for 54,100 working residents, Saint-Denis draws people in from neighbouring communes. The police record for Saint-Denis lists 3,964 offenses in 2025. On average over 2023–2025, every 1,000 residents saw 12.6 violent offenses and 11.4 graded property crimes a year. Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Saint-Denis (2025).
12.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage1,125
Family violence956
Other physical violence699
Theft from vehicles448
Sexual violence401
Burglary160
Vehicle theft157
Armed robbery18
Theft without violence726
Drug use539
Fraud524
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.
12.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
11.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
3,964
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 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 · Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Résidence du premier Président de la Cour d'Appel: Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hôtel de la Préfecture: Photo: Thierry Caro · CC BY-SA 3.0 · La Redoute Bourbon: Photo: BENARD Teddy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Villa Deramond: Photo: David Monniaux · CC BY-SA 3.0
Édouard Hervé: Eugène Pirou, Public domain · Louis Cazamian: Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire), Public domain · Georges Athénas: Henri Manuel, Public domain · Alphonse Féry d'Esclands: Panajou, Public domain · Mylo d'Arcylle: Manuel Palomino Arjona, Public domain
Saint-Denis’ 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 Saint-Denis
Is Saint-Denis safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #17 of 22 in Réunion. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 160 burglaries and 1,125 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Denis good?
They grade B, better than 63% of compared French towns and #10 of 24 in Réunion. The lycée stands out: 94% of 250 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général et technologique Lislet Geoffroy 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 Saint-Denis expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,654/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Denis grades D− for cost of living.
About Saint-Denis
Commune in Réunion
Saint-Denis is a commune of 155,634 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale du Nord de la Réunion (CINOR). 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
155,634 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Intercommunale du Nord de la Réunion (CINOR)
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.
