Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 2,204 people, lies in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Young adults aged 15 to 24 make up 15% of residents.
Pupils here do better than most: brevet results 3.7 points above the expected rate. Walking, cycling and public transport work well here: 75% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 18% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Health lags (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 16% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. A 70 m² home at the median €2,157/m² costs 5.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Saint-Palais 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.
The 2 things Saint-Palais does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Saint-Palais 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.
Saint-Palais has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Saint-Palais has 1 historic monument on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Palais.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Life expectancy at birth in Pyrénées-Atlantiques is 86.4 years for women and 81.3 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. 542 deaths in Saint-Palais between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 354: 53% above. Also worth knowing: this Pyrénées-Atlantiques town has 7 family doctors.
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 · Care-home places are adjusted for by TownRatings, using a model rather than an official statistic.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
96.9% of candidates passed the brevet at the collèges within 5 km of Saint-Palais, higher than both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (95.0%) and compared French towns (87.5%). The nearest general lycée is 10.4 mi away.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège d'AmikuzeNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 51 | 94%+2 pts |
| Collège privé Etchecopar PrivateBest against expectations: 5 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 68 | 99%+5 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
The median disposable income was €23,980 a year per consumption unit, below both Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (€26,830) and compared French towns (€25,970). Unemployment is 11.6%. Per resident in work, Saint-Palais counts 2.9 jobs (2,300 jobs, 800 workers).
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
One measure of family life: 10% of residents are under 15. People 65 and over make up a third of the town, above Pyrénées-Atlantiques’ towns (25%) and compared French towns (22%) alike. Degrees are held by 28% of adults.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Atlantiques 52.5%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Saint-Palais | Pyrénées-Atlantiques median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 15% | 9.3% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 33% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 25% | 15% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 27% | 25% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 28% | 36% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Pyrénées-Atlantiques median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Behind the median of €2,157/m²: 44 houses and apartments sold in Saint-Palais between July 2023 and June 2026. Houses accounted for just over three in five sales, apartments for the rest.
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Saint-Palais has 1 historic monument on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Saint-Palais. Best known first.
Saint-Palais has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
One notable person was born in Saint-Palais.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Palais | 2,204 | — | — | B | — | D− |
| Mauléon-Licharre | 2,972 | 10 | A+ | A | A+ | B+ |
| Salies-de-Béarn | 4,742 | 12 | A− | B− | A | C− |
| Hasparren | 7,626 | 15 | A− | C− | A+ | C |
| Peyrehorade Landes | 3,700 | 16 | C | C | B− | C |
| Orthez | 10,881 | 17 | B+ | B | B− | B− |
| Briscous | 2,965 | 18 | — | C− | — | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Saint-Palais has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 2.8 recorded violent incidents and 8.7 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade A, better than 95% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,157/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Saint-Palais grades B for cost of living.
Commune in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Saint-Palais is a commune of 2,204 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque. 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
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 9, 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.