Police record less crime here than in most towns: an average of 3.2 recorded violent incidents and 9.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At A+ overall, Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez is better than 95% of compared French towns and ranks #7 of 48 in Loire. Residents are healthier than most: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 23% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. The drawback is walkability — nearly two thirds of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 5% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. A 70 m² home at the median €2,378/m² costs 6.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Loire Forez Agglomération.
Figures: recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
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-Marcellin-en-Forez 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.
Chapelle Saint-Catherine (ancienne): Photo: Ludovic Péron · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Manoir du Colombier: Photo: Ludovic Péron · CC BY-SA 4.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez.
Safety
Crime per resident in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez runs lower than in 90% of compared French towns
3.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearASafety Grade
In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez. The 2025 count: 78 offenses in the town.
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage40
Burglary16
Family violence15
Other physical violence7
Armed robbery0
Fraud32
Theft without violence16
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.
3.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
9.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
78
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
9.7%
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 sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 9.7% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
5 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2011
5historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Per 10,000 residents, Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez counts 9.8 protected monuments, above Loire’s towns (1.9) and compared French towns (2.5) alike. A protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable) has covered part of the town since 2011. Its oldest listed monument dates from the 12th century. Among the classé monuments here is Pont du Diable à Vérine.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth A−
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez loses fewer people than its age profile suggests, 77 per 100 expected, below Loire’s towns and compared French towns
−23%deaths against expected, after care homesA−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
3 GPs practise in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez. The nearest emergency department to Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez is Centre hospitalier de Firminy, 9.5 mi away. 377 deaths in the town between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 447: 16% below. Also worth knowing: women in Loire live to 85.6 on average and men to 80.8 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw84
Adjusted77
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez · 4.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
9.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Firminy
9.5 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Firminy
85.6 · 80.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Loire, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez has lower unemployment than Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 6.0%
5%walk, cycle or take transit
The census found 5.5% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Jobs based in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez number 1,000, against 2,350 residents in work (0.4 per worker). Half of residents lived on more than €26,810 a year per consumption unit, higher than Loire’s towns (€25,635) and near compared French towns (€25,970).
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving91%
Public transport3%
On foot2%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter1%
1,000
jobs based in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez, 0.4 per working resident
6.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€26,810
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
C+
Walkability: better than 36% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living B
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez is graded a B for cost of living
€2,378/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €2,378/m², comes from 129 sales of houses and apartments in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez from July 2023 to June 2026. The estimated advertised rent is €9.90/m² a month, near Loire’s towns (€10.17/m²) and lower than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses accounted for 88% of sales, apartments for the rest.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez€2,378/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Loire median€2,075/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,503/m²
113
€9.90/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.64 to €12.82/m² a month)
6.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.85/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,420
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Loire Forez Agglomération
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Children make up 19% of Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez, above Loire’s towns and compared French towns
41.2median age
20% of residents are 65 or over, lower than both Loire’s towns (25%) and compared French towns (22%). Typical age in Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez: 41.2, the median. Graduates make up 31% of adults.
Saint-Marcellin-en-ForezLoire medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma16%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education31%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 95 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%.
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez is a commune of 5,116 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
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez
Is Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez safe?
It grades A for safety, #6 of 48 in Loire. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 16 burglaries and 40 acts of criminal damage.
Is Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez 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 €2,378/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez grades B for cost of living.
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.
