Saint-Germain-Laval’s strongest is cost of living — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 2.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Schools are a strength too (A+): brevet results 6 points above the expected rate. Where it falls short is health: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 1% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. The median home sells for €928/m².
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025). Saint-Germain-Laval has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Saint-Germain-Laval 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-Germain-Laval.
HousingCost of living A+
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Saint-Germain-Laval than in Loire’s towns or across compared French towns: €8.16/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
House rents are put at about €7.08/m² a month. Among the homes sold, 94% were houses. Sales in Saint-Germain-Laval from July 2023 to June 2026: 72 houses and apartments.
€928/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Germain-Laval€928/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Loire median€2,075/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€908/m²
68
€8.16/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.19 to €10.76/m² a month)
2.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€7.08/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,600
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Vals d'Aix et Isable
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income C+
Money is tighter in Saint-Germain-Laval than in Loire’s towns or compared French towns: the median disposable income is €23,440 a year per consumption unit
Saint-Germain-Laval has 850 jobs for 650 working residents, 1.3 per worker. At the census, 5.3% of working residents in Saint-Germain-Laval went to work by public transport. Unemployment stood at 9.3%, higher than Loire’s towns (8.6%) yet lower than compared French towns (10.1%).
14%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving81%
On foot7%
Public transport5%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter1%
850
jobs based in Saint-Germain-Laval, 1.3 per working resident
9.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,440
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 83% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C−
Saint-Germain-Laval’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 81% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Its care home for older people (64 places) counts its residents as Saint-Germain-Laval’s; allowing for it, deaths were 1% above expected. 313 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 237: 32% above. The nearest emergency department to Saint-Germain-Laval is Clinique Medico Chirurgicale de Renaison, 14 mi away. Average lifespans in Loire: 85.6 years for women, 80.8 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
+1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw132
Adjusted101
Median town88
Expected100
2
GPs in Saint-Germain-Laval · 3.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
14 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique Medico Chirurgicale de Renaison
14.9 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
Saint-Germain-Laval skews older, with 31% of residents 65 or over, more than in Loire’s towns and across compared French towns
The 15-to-24 age group: 8.5%, below both Loire’s towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%). The under-15s are 14% of the population here. Among adults, 25% have a degree.
51.2median age
Saint-Germain-LavalLoire medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
31%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma24%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education25%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
History
Saint-Germain-Laval keeps more of its old housing than Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 24% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 12th century. Among the classé monuments in Saint-Germain-Laval is Commanderie de Verrières (ancienne). Per 10,000 residents, Saint-Germain-Laval counts 37 protected monuments, higher than both Loire’s towns (1.9) and compared French towns (2.5). On the Culture ministry’s list, Saint-Germain-Laval counts 6 historic monuments: 2 classé at the top level of protection and 4 inscrit at the second.
Commanderie de Verrières (ancienne): Photo: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Croix de carrefour de Verrières: Photo: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chapelle de la Madeleine (ancienne): Photo: Patrick Boyer · CC BY-SA 3.0
Famous people from Saint-Germain-Laval
One notable person was born in Saint-Germain-Laval.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Germain-Laval
Is Saint-Germain-Laval safe?
Saint-Germain-Laval has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 3.6 recorded violent incidents and 13.1 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Saint-Germain-Laval good?
They grade A+, better than 98% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Saint-Germain-Laval expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Saint-Germain-Laval grades A+ for cost of living.
About Saint-Germain-Laval
Commune in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Saint-Germain-Laval is a commune of 1,608 people in the Communauté de communes des Vals d'Aix et Isable. 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.
