Charlieu grades A− overall: better than 80% of compared French towns, and #20 of 48 in Loire. Its weakest subject is safety (C−): an average of 14.2 recorded violent incidents and 16.8 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €1,531/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté de communes Charlieu-Belmont. Its strongest is walkability (A): 91% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 20% 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 Charlieu 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 Charlieu.
History
Charlieu is rich in protected monuments: 37 per 10,000 residents, more than in Loire’s towns and across compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Its oldest listed monument dates from the 11th century. Among the classé monuments in Charlieu is Abbaye de Charlieu. The Culture ministry lists 14 historic monuments locally: 8 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level). Also worth knowing: 23% of its homes were built before 1919, above Loire’s towns (7.2%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income C
Incomes in Charlieu run lower than in Loire’s towns and across compared French towns: a median €22,630 a year per consumption unit
Unemployment stood at 11.2%, above both Loire’s towns (8.6%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Walking, cycling and public transport carried 20.3% of commuters at the census. Charlieu holds 2,250 jobs; 1,500 of its residents are in work, so 1.5 jobs each.
20%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving75%
On foot15%
Bicycle3%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
2,250
jobs based in Charlieu, 1.5 per working resident
11.2%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,630
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 92% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living A
Renting in Charlieu costs less than in Loire’s towns and across compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €8.25/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Behind the median of €1,531/m²: 124 houses and apartments sold in Charlieu between July 2023 and June 2026. In Charlieu, houses go for €1,595/m² and apartments for €1,441/m². Houses were 52% of what sold.
€1,531/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Charlieu€1,531/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Loire median€2,075/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,595/m²
64
Apartments
€1,441/m²
60
€8.25/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.50 to €10.47/m² a month)
4.2
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.60/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,260
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Charlieu-Belmont
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
For crime per resident, Charlieu sits above 83% of compared French towns
The commonest graded crime in Charlieu was criminal damage (2025). 117 offenses were reported in Charlieu during 2025.
14.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage38
Other physical violence34
Family violence18
Sexual violence14
Vehicle theft8
Theft from vehicles5
Armed robbery0
Drug use28
Fraud23
Theft without violence15
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.
14.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
16.8
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
117
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
3.0%
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 · Small counts of burglary go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 3.0% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Who lives here
An older town: 32% of people in Charlieu are 65 or over, more than in Loire’s towns and across compared French towns
Children under 15 make up 13%, below both Loire’s towns (17%) and compared French towns (17%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 12% of the town. The age that splits Charlieu in two is 50.4.
50.4median age
CharlieuLoire medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
32%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma27%
CAP or BEP26%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education24%
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 83 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth B+
Charlieu has a lower adjusted death rate than 73% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
12 GPs practise in Charlieu. Adjusted for age and care homes, Charlieu records 80 deaths per 100 expected, close to Loire’s towns (82) and below compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 638 residents of Charlieu died, against 635 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 1% more. The nearest emergency department to Charlieu is Centre hospitalier de Roanne, 9.2 mi away.
−20%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw101
Adjusted80
Median town88
Expected100
12
GPs in Charlieu · 2.3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
9.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Roanne
9.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Roanne
85.6 · 80.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Loire, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
91.2% of candidates passed the brevet at the two collèges within 5 km, 0.6 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Near Charlieu, 97.1% of lycée candidates passed the bac, above both Loire’s towns (93.4%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Results rank its schools #20 of 50 in Loire.
97%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Abbaye de Charlieu: Photo: Welleschik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison dite Hôtel d'Armagnac: Photo: Daniel Villafruela . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison à pans de bois: Photo: Keny76 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison dite des Anglais: Photo: Keny76 · CC BY-SA 3.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Charlieu
Is Charlieu safe?
It grades C− for safety, #43 of 48 in Loire.
Are schools in Charlieu good?
They grade B+, better than 69% of compared French towns and #20 of 50 in Loire. The lycée stands out: 100% of 44 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Notre-Dame 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.
Is Charlieu expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,531/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Charlieu grades A for cost of living.
About Charlieu
Commune in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Charlieu is a commune of 3,766 people in the Communauté de communes Charlieu-Belmont. 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
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.
