Céret is older than 96% of compared French towns: a median age of 57
The share of households headed by a retired person is 52%, against 32% in the typical compared French town. Céret has fewer couples with children than 94% of compared French towns, at 14%. In 2023, the Census found 7,521 residents here, living in 3,960 households. 7.9% of households rent social housing (HLM).
Throughout this page, the Pyrénées-Orientales median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
What stands out about the people of Céret
One home in seven is a second home
The census counted 720 second homes and occasional dwellings in Céret, 13% of its 5,400 homes: higher than in 90% of compared French towns. 54% of them are houses. Their owners live elsewhere, so they aren’t in the population figures on this page. Homes & cars ↓
An older town
Half of Céret’s residents are under 57 and half over; the median of compared French towns is 44. 37% are 65 or older (France median 22%), 12% 80 or older. Ages ↓
Empty homes
The census found 720 homes empty (13%): for sale, to let, awaiting work or simply unused. Homes & cars ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
A town of second homes: 13% of its homes
Every home the census counted: main residences, second homes and occasional dwellings (INSEE counts them together), and empty homes. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
All homes · share of homes
Type of home
Cars per household · share of households
Set against 30% in the typical compared French town, 35% of homes are flats in Céret. On the census count, 14% of households have no car. The town has more empty homes than 92% of compared French towns, at 13%. Typically, 2.1% of homes are second homes in the typical compared French town.
Since 2012, Céret has changed by −1%, slower than 75% of compared French towns
Residents at INSEE’s last three censuses, each recast in the 2026 commune boundaries. France has no yearly estimate by commune between censuses.
2012 to 2023
2017 to 2023
In two steps, +2% to 2017 and −4% after, the town’s change compares with +5% for the median compared French town and +10% in Pyrénées-Orientales.
Céret sits above 96% of compared French towns for residents aged 65 and over (37%)
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Céret 57. The median compared French town: 44.
7.5% of residents are 15 to 24 (typical compared French town: 11%). Against that, 22% of residents are 65 or over in the typical compared French town.
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Orientales 52.6%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
A higher share of one-person households than 81% of compared French towns, at 44%
A household is everyone who shares a main home (résidence principale). Household types come from INSEE’s fuller sample of a quarter of census forms.
Against the Pyrénées-Orientales median and the France median
Living alone · share
On average, 1.9 people share a household. The comparison figure for one-person households is 35% in the typical compared French town. Single-parent households make up 10%, close to the figure in the typical compared French town.
€24,240 a year: the median standard of living
The standard of living (niveau de vie) is a household’s disposable income after taxes and benefits, divided by its consumption units (UC) to allow for its size and make-up: 1 for the first adult, 0.5 for each other person 14 or older, 0.3 for each child under 14.
Medians of compared communes. Source: INSEE, Filosofi 2023.
Half of Céret’s residents live in households with a standard of living below €24,240 a year per consumption unit, and half above: lower than in 68% of compared French towns. Poverty touches 19.0% of residents.
In Céret, 5% of households are headed by a manager or professional, fewer than in 85% of compared French towns
Households by the socio-professional group (PCS) of their reference person, INSEE’s own categories. Jobs and commuting are on the Work & commute page.
Households by reference person’s group · share of households
With households headed by a manual worker at 9%, Céret is behind 83% of compared French towns on that count. As a reference point, nearly one in ten households are headed by a manager or professional in the typical compared French town.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
Céret: 8.9% of residents are immigrants, above 65% of compared French towns
INSEE publishes two measures, which overlap but aren’t the same. Neither is the UK’s “born abroad”.
Share of residents · census 2023
Immigrant (immigré)
Born abroad, not French at birth. Someone stays an immigrant after becoming French. A French citizen born abroad (for example in Algeria before 1962) is not one.
Foreign national (étranger)
Not a French citizen today, wherever born. A child born in France to foreign parents can be a foreign national without being an immigrant.
5.4% of residents are foreign nationals (typical compared French town: 4.3%). Against that, 6.5% of residents are immigrants in the typical compared French town.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
Céret sits below 67% of compared French towns for single residents (23%)
Residents 15 and over by how they live: the census asks both the legal status and whether people live as a couple.
Residents 15 and over · share
For Céret, the census puts married residents at 43%. Single residents: 25% in the typical compared French town, for comparison.
19% of adults out of school have no qualification, fewer than in 51% of compared French towns
Highest diploma of residents 15 and over who have left education, in French terms: the levels don’t map one-to-one to UK or U.S. ones.
Highest diploma · 15 and over, out of education
30% of adults out of school hold a higher-education qualification, or about one in three.
41 French towns of 7,411 to 7,626 people: this is the 3rd oldest
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
At the ends of the range sit Saint-Maixent-l'École (35.5), the youngest, and Saujon (59.6), the oldest.
A younger town than 2 of the 6 around it: Céret
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Céret | 57 | 37% | 13% | 8.9% |
| Maureillas-las-Illas 3,006 · 2.9 mi | 55.4 | 33% | 13% | 8.3% |
| Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda 3,529 · 3.9 mi | 60.7 | 43% | 54% | 9.1% |
| Le Boulou 5,487 · 5 mi | 54 | 35% | 13% | 11% |
| Arles-sur-Tech 2,815 · 6.3 mi | 54.8 | 32% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
| Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines 3,059 · 9.6 mi | 59 | 40% | 11% | 8% |
| Thuir 8,243 · 9.8 mi | 49.8 | 27% | 2.1% | 9% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Census 2023. INSEE’s census is a rolling survey: a fifth of small communes each year, 8% of homes in large ones each year. “2023” pools the surveys of 2021 to 2025, so the figures describe the town around 2023, not on one day.
- Medians of compared communes. The comparisons are the median of the département’s compared communes and of France’s (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median: not the total for the département or for France, which large cities pull towards their own figures.
- Immigrants and foreign nationals. INSEE’s two measures: an immigrant was born abroad without French nationality; a foreign national isn’t French today. Neither is a count of people born abroad, which INSEE doesn’t publish by commune.
- Second homes. Homes used for holidays or weekends, with occasional dwellings (kept for work, for example), which INSEE counts together. Their owners are counted where they live, not here.
- Standard of living. INSEE’s Filosofi: disposable income per consumption unit, from tax and benefit files, 2023. The poverty rate is the share of residents below 60% of France’s median. Not published for the smallest communes.
- What France doesn’t ask. The French census asks nothing about ethnicity, religion, language or health, so this page has no such section.
Questions about who lives in Céret
What is the population of Céret?
7,521 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 1% fewer than in 2012 (7,621).
How old are Céret’s residents?
The median age is 57, older than 96% of compared French towns. 15% are under 18 and 37% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Céret?
720, with occasional dwellings: 13% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Céret?
INSEE counts 670 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 8.9% of residents, and 410 foreign nationals (5.4%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
What is the median income in Céret?
€24,240 a year per consumption unit in 2023 (median of compared French towns €25,970); 19.0% of residents live below the poverty line. Source: INSEE, Filosofi.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, ages, households, homes, marital status, diplomas, immigrants, foreign nationals, employment), 2026 geography · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (standard of living, poverty) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, 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.