Elne grades low on several counts. Buying 70 m² at the median €2,285/m² takes 6.6 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes des Albères, de la Côte Vermeille et de l'Illibéris. Walkability is its strong suit — 86% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 10% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. All told, that adds up to a D overall, better than 6% of compared French towns. In the ranking it comes #34 of 43 in Pyrénées-Orientales. Health lags: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 9% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Police record more crime here than in most towns: an average of 9.6 recorded violent incidents and 24.3 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior).
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 Elne 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 Elne.
HealthHealth D
Elne loses more people than its age profile suggests, 109 per 100 expected, above Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Elne has 4 family doctors. The nearest emergency department to Elne is Polyclinique Medipole Saint Roch, 6.4 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 952 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,169, 23% more. Life expectancy in Pyrénées-Orientales: 85.5 years for women and 78.9 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3.
+9%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw123
Adjusted109
Median town88
Expected100
4
GPs in Elne · 4.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
6.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Polyclinique Medipole Saint Roch
5.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Polyclinique Mediterranee Ex Cl Notre Dame D Esperance
85.5 · 78.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pyrénées-Orientales, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Recorded crime per resident is higher in Elne than in 89% of compared French towns
For 2025, the figures show 350 offenses in Elne. More of the graded crimes here were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
9.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage124
Vehicle theft50
Other physical violence46
Family violence44
Burglary34
Theft from vehicles29
Sexual violence23
Theft without violence101
Fraud79
Drug use47
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.
9.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
24.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
350
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
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 armed robbery number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (0.2% of the index here). The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
Elne has 8 historic monuments, 2 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Elne is Église Sainte-Eulalie (ancienne cathédrale). This Pyrénées-Orientales town has 8.4 protected monuments per 10,000 residents, above both Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (2.3) and compared French towns (2.5). Protection here reaches back to the 10th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income D
More people in Elne are out of work than in Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns or across compared French towns: 18.0%
Half of residents lived on more than €21,630 a year per consumption unit, below Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (€24,140) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. No commute at all: 4.4% of working residents in Elne at the census.
10%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving84%
On foot6%
Public transport3%
Motorbike or scooter2%
Bicycle2%
3,000
jobs based in Elne, 0.9 per working resident
18.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€21,630
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 77% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living C
A typical home in Elne sells for €2,285/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In Elne, houses go for €2,357/m² and apartments for €1,861/m². Renting a house costs an estimated €10.76/m² a month. Among the homes sold, 81% were houses.
€2,285/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Elne€2,285/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pyrénées-Orientales median€2,444/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,357/m²
314
Apartments
€1,861/m²
72
€12.03/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.99 to €14.48/m² a month)
6.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.76/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,310
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Albères, de la Côte Vermeille et de l'Illibéris
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Schools
82.6% of candidates passed the brevet at the three collèges within 5 km, 2.9 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Near Elne, 100.0% of lycée candidates passed the bac, higher than both Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (94.2%) and compared French towns (92.9%). On school results, the town ranks #19 of 46 in Pyrénées-Orientales. The closest collège is 0.8 mi off.
100%passed the bac (general and technological)BSchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Fewer people in Elne hold a degree than in Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns or compared French towns: 22%
Young adults of 15 to 24 account for just over a tenth of the town. Over-65s are nearly a quarter of the population. Ages in Elne split evenly at 45.4: half are older, half younger.
45.4median age
ElnePyrénées-Orientales medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
24%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma24%
CAP or BEP28%
Baccalauréat20%
Higher education22%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Orientales 52.6%, France 51.8%.
Église Sainte-Eulalie (ancienne cathédrale): Photo: LeZibou · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Porte de Collioure: Photo: Palauenc05 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vestiges de la cathédrale primitive: Photo: Palauenc05 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Porte de Balagué (ou Balaguer), rempart contigu et l'enceinte urbaine de la ville haute: Photo: Palauenc05 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Joseph Crespo: Inconnu, Public domain · Paul Barrère: Agence Rol, Public domain · Yvonne Boachon-Joffre: Vargasro, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Marcel Delaris: GAUTRAND, CC BY-SA 4.0
Elne’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Elne
Is Elne safe?
It grades D for safety, #36 of 43 in Pyrénées-Orientales. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 34 burglaries and 124 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Elne good?
They grade B, better than 60% of compared French towns and #19 of 46 in Pyrénées-Orientales. The lycée stands out: 100% of 48 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé Saint-Pierre de la Mer 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.
Is Elne expensive to live in?
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.03/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Elne grades C for cost of living.
About Elne
Commune in Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie
Elne is a commune of 9,511 people in the Communauté de communes des Albères, de la Côte Vermeille et de l'Illibéris. 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
Population
9,511 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes des Albères, de la Côte Vermeille et de l'Illibéris
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.
