Villerest grades A+ overall: better than 97% of compared French towns, and #6 of 48 in Loire. At the median price of €1,975/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Roannais Agglomération. Its strongest is safety (A): an average of 3.5 recorded violent incidents and 9.1 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 Villerest 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 Villerest.
Safety
Villerest records less crime per resident than nine in ten compared French towns
The police record for Villerest lists 55 offenses in 2025. The graded crime recorded most locally was burglary (2025).
3.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearASafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Burglary27
Criminal damage15
Family violence13
Armed robbery0
Fraud32
Theft without violence10
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.
3.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
9.1
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
55
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
11.3%
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 · When other physical violence, sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (11.3% of the index here). As that share tops 10%, this Safety Grade carries more doubt than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HealthHealth A
Villerest loses fewer people than its age profile suggests, 71 per 100 expected, below Loire’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
For a family doctor, residents of Villerest can choose among 9 GPs. Average lifespans in Loire: 85.6 years for women, 80.8 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. From 2016 to 2025, 452 residents of Villerest died, against 554 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 18% fewer.
−29%deaths against expected, after care homesAHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw82
Adjusted71
Median town88
Expected100
9
GPs in Villerest · 3.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique Medico Chirurgicale de Renaison
3.3 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
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Villerest than in Loire’s towns or across compared French towns: €8.56/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house in Villerest goes for €2,175/m², an apartment for €1,238/m². Behind the median of €1,975/m²: 181 houses and apartments sold locally between July 2023 and June 2026. Houses accounted for nearly four in five sales, apartments for the rest.
€1,975/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Villerest€1,975/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Loire median€2,075/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,175/m²
143
Apartments
€1,238/m²
38
€8.56/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.57 to €11.14/m² a month)
5.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.90/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,630
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Roannais Agglomération
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Villerest has fewer young adults than Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 8.1% are 15 to 24
33% of adults hold a degree, above both Loire’s towns (28%) and compared French towns (30%). Over-65s are 28% of the population. Half the people of Villerest are older than 48.5.
48.5median age
VillerestLoire medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
28%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma18%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education33%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 91 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
Schools
86.7% of candidates passed the brevet at the four collèges within 5 km, 1.2 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The bac pass rate near Villerest is 95.9%, higher than both Loire’s towns (93.4%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Schools rank #24 of 50 in Loire. A collège lies 1.8 mi away.
99%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
Villerest: 3 historic monuments, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Churches, chapels and other religious buildings, 2 of the 3, make up the bulk. Among the classé monuments in Villerest is Muraille de porphyre dite Château Brûlé. The protected list starts in the 12th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income B−
Incomes in Villerest run higher than in Loire’s towns or compared French towns: a median €27,910 a year per consumption unit
Villerest has 600 jobs for 2,100 working residents, 0.3 per worker. 7.3% of the labour force were unemployed, lower than both Loire’s towns (8.6%) and compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 7.6% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
8%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving88%
Public transport3%
Bicycle2%
On foot2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
600
jobs based in Villerest, 0.3 per working resident
7.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,910
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B−
Walkability: better than 45% of compared French towns
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Villerest
Is Villerest safe?
It grades A for safety, #4 of 48 in Loire. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 27 burglaries and 15 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Villerest good?
They grade B+, better than 66% of compared French towns and #24 of 50 in Loire. The lycée stands out: 100% of 265 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Jean Puy 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 Villerest expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,975/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Villerest grades B+ for cost of living.
About Villerest
Commune in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Villerest is a commune of 5,172 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Roannais 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
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.
