Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine has a population of 13,606.
A well-rated place to live, with prices to match. Its strongest subject is health (A−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 26% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Households here earn well: 1.2 jobs per working resident; 8.5% unemployment. The drawback is cost of living: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 6.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Put together, the subjects come to an A− overall, ranking #13 of 35 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Nationally, it does better than 83% of compared French towns.
Figures: deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment, 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 Lons 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 →
Lons has 1 historic monument on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
The oldest protected part dates from the 20th century; the first monument here was protected in 2016.
1.5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Lons has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lons.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
For a family doctor, residents of Lons can choose among 13 GPs. Average lifespans in Pyrénées-Atlantiques: 86.4 years for women, 81.3 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,338 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,098, 18% fewer.
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 figures behind this are our own model (TownRatings), not official statistics.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Apartments in Lons sell for €2,529/m², houses for €2,586/m². House rents are put at about €13.11/m² a month. From July 2023 to June 2026, 521 homes were sold locally.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €2,586/m² | 266 |
| Apartments | €2,529/m² | 255 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 86% passed the bac pro, of 497 candidates at 6 lycées. At the lycées within 5 km of Lons, 94.5% passed the bac, below Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (96.5%) but above compared French towns (92.9%). School results put the town #34 of 40 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège du Bois d'AmourNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 128 | 91%+3 pts |
| Lycée privé Saint-Dominique PrivateNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 144 | 100%+1 pt |
| Lycée polyvalent Saint-CricqBest against expectations: 44 points above the expected rateVocational lycée | Vocational lycée | 65 | 83%+44 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Unemployment stands at 8.5%. Half of residents lived on more than €27,270 a year per consumption unit, close to Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (€26,830) and above compared French towns (€25,970). The census found 9.5% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes from before 1919 make up 1.5% of the total, below Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (5.9%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike. Its heritage reaches back to the 20th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
One measure of family life: 16% of residents are under 15. Typical age in Lons: 45.2, the median. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Atlantiques 52.5%, France 51.8%.
| Lons | Pyrénées-Atlantiques median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 9.3% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 24% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 13% | 15% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 23% | 25% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 40% | 36% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Pyrénées-Atlantiques median and France median: the median of compared communes
On average over 2023–2025, every 1,000 residents saw 5.8 violent offenses and 14.2 graded property crimes a year. In 2025, 271 offenses were recorded in Lons. Jobs outnumber working residents in Lons (7,200 to 5,950): it draws people in from around.
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 armed robbery, 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, 0.4% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher.
Museums, family days out and heritage in and near Lons. Best known first.
ChâteauChâteau de Pau3.7 km southeast, in Pau
MuseumMusée Bernadotte3.6 km southeast, in PauTheme parkTheme parkFun Room Escape Gamein townCathedralCathedralCathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Lescar3.1 km west, in LescarMuseumMuseumMusée des Beaux-Arts de Pau3.9 km southeast, in PauPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
One notable person was born in Lons.
Commune in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Lons is a commune of 13,606 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées. 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
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
It grades B for safety, #19 of 35 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 57 burglaries and 87 acts of criminal damage.
They grade B+, better than 71% of compared French towns and #34 of 40 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The lycée stands out: 100% of 144 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé Saint-Dominique in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.76/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Lons grades C for cost of living.
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 November 4, 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.