Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,557 in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Bonson grades A overall: better than 90% of compared French towns, and #10 of 48 in Loire. At the median price of €2,500/m², a 70 m² home costs 6.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Loire Forez Agglomération. Its strongest is safety (A+): an average of 3.4 recorded violent incidents and 8 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
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 Bonson 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 →
Bonson has 1 historic monument on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
The oldest protected part dates from the 11th century; the first monument here was protected in 1987.
3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bonson.
Bonson ranks first of the 48 compared towns in Loire on the Safety Grade. 63 offenses were reported in Bonson during 2025. The graded crime recorded most in the town was criminal damage (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 · For other physical violence, sexual violence and theft from vehicles, 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, 10.9% of the index here. That estimated share passes 10%, so treat this Safety Grade with more caution than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
In Loire, women can expect to live 85.6 years and men 80.8 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. From 2016 to 2025, 273 residents of Bonson died, against 361 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 24% fewer. The nearest emergency department to Bonson is Hopital Nord Chu de Saint Etienne, 7.6 mi away. There are 4 general practitioners in the town.
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 · The care-home step is TownRatings’ own calculation, not an official number.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
For collège, the closest is 2.2 mi away. On school results, the town ranks #25 of 50 in Loire.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Anne FrankNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 199 | 96%+1 pt |
| Lycée François Mauriac - ForezNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 436 | 98%±0 pts |
| Lycée professionnel Sainte-Claire PrivateBest against expectations: a point above the expected rateVocational lycée | Vocational lycée | 83 | 93%+1 pt |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The earliest of these monuments dates from the 11th century. Homes from before 1919 make up 3% of the total, below both Loire’s towns (7.2%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Jobs based in Bonson number 1,050, against 1,800 residents in work (0.6 per worker). Nearly a tenth of the labour force were unemployed, close to Loire’s towns (8.6%) and below compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 2.2% of working residents in Bonson didn’t travel to work at all.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.6% of the town. 25% of adults hold a degree, below both Loire’s towns (28%) and compared French towns (30%). Retirement age and beyond: nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or older.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Bonson | Loire median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 22% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 21% | 20% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 30% | 29% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 25% | 28% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Behind the median of €2,500/m²: 131 houses and apartments sold in Bonson between July 2023 and June 2026. Advertised rents are estimated at €10.99/m² a month, above Loire’s towns (€10.17/m²) but below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). A house rents for an estimated €10.83/m² a month.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €2,528/m² | 114 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Museums, heritage and other places to visit in and near Bonson. Best known first.
AttractionChâteau de Bouthéon4.2 km northeast, in Andrézieux-Bouthéon
MuseumMusée des civilisations de Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert3.2 km southeast, in Saint-Just-Saint-RambertChâteauChâteauManoir du Colombier4.8 km southwest, in Saint-Marcellin-en-ForezChâteauChâteauChâteau de Sury3.2 km northwest, in Sury-le-ComtalMuseumMuseumL'Aventure du Train3 km east, in Andrézieux-BouthéonWater parkWater parkNautiform4.2 km east, in Andrézieux-BouthéonPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Bonson has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Chapelle Notre-Dame: Photo: Daniel Villafruela . · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Bonson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonson | 4,557 | — | A | B− | A+ | A− |
| Sury-le-Comtal | 6,621 | 1.9 | A | A− | B+ | A |
| Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert | 15,764 | 2.4 | A− | B− | B+ | C+ |
| Andrézieux-Bouthéon | 10,425 | 2.4 | B− | C | C | B |
| Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez | 5,116 | 3.2 | A+ | B | A | A− |
| Veauche | 8,975 | 4.4 | A | C+ | A− | A |
| Saint-Romain-le-Puy | 4,142 | 5 | A | B+ | A | A+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades A+ for safety, #1 of 48 in Loire. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 10 burglaries and 39 acts of criminal damage.
They grade B, better than 61% of compared French towns and #25 of 50 in Loire. 98% of 436 candidates passed the bac at Lycée François Mauriac - Forez in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,500/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Bonson grades B− for cost of living.
Commune in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Bonson is a commune of 4,557 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Loire Forez Agglomération. 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 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.