More weak spots than strong ones. Police record more crime here than in most towns: an average of 14.6 recorded violent incidents and 30 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Walkability is its strong suit — 94% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 22% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At the median price of €1,634/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté urbaine Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole. Put together, the subjects come to a C− overall, ranking #21 of 43 in Pyrénées-Orientales. Set against the rest, it does better than 15% of compared French towns. It also trails on jobs & income — 1.9 jobs per working resident; 22.5% unemployment.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · 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 Perpignan 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 Perpignan.
Safety
Crime per resident in Perpignan runs higher than in 97% of compared French towns
Perpignan has 71,700 jobs for 36,950 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work. In all, 6,079 offenses reached the police record here in 2025. Among the graded crimes locally, the most frequent was criminal damage (2025).
14.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearD−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage2,450
Other physical violence939
Theft from vehicles811
Family violence595
Burglary479
Vehicle theft427
Sexual violence343
Armed robbery35
Theft without violence2,278
Fraud1,091
Drug use850
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.
14.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
30
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
6,079
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 0.1%
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 · 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. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
Unemployment in Perpignan, 22.5%, runs above Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns and compared French towns
Households’ median disposable income: €19,110 a year per consumption unit. At the census, 3.8% of working residents in Perpignan didn’t travel to work at all. Public transport took nearly a tenth of the town’s working residents to work at the census.
22%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving72%
On foot10%
Public transport8%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter2%
71,700
jobs based in Perpignan, 1.9 per working resident
22.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€19,110
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 94% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C−
Perpignan’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 78% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Weighed against its ages and care homes, Perpignan records 99 deaths per 100 expected. From 2016 to 2025, 13,820 residents of Perpignan died, against 13,126 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 5% more. Life expectancy at birth in Pyrénées-Orientales is 85.5 years for women and 78.9 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. There are 132 general practitioners in the town.
−1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw105
Adjusted99
Median town88
Expected100
132
GPs in Perpignan · 4.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.3 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Perpignan Antenne Smur Ch Puigcerda
1.8 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
85.9% of candidates passed the brevet at the 13 collèges within 5 km, 4.7 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Schools rank #14 of 46 in Pyrénées-Orientales. Near Perpignan, 93.2% of lycée candidates passed the bac, about level with both Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (94.2%) and compared French towns (92.9%).
95%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living C+
Perpignan is graded a C+ for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Perpignan is the second cheapest of the 51 towns in Pyrénées-Orientales, at €1,634/m². Behind the median of €1,634/m²: 6,138 houses and apartments sold here between July 2023 and June 2026. Houses in Perpignan sell for €2,167/m² and apartments for €1,500/m².
€1,634/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Perpignan€1,634/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pyrénées-Orientales median€2,444/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,167/m²
1,524
Apartments
€1,500/m²
4,614
€12.18/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.85 to €15.07/m² a month)
5.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€11.81/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€22,520
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté urbaine Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 1995, and 36 historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Perpignan is Église du Vieux-Saint-Jean. Its oldest listed monument dates from prehistory. A protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable) has covered part of the town since 1995.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Students and young workers shape Perpignan: 13% are 15 to 24, above Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns and compared French towns
23% of residents are 65 or over, about level with compared French towns (22%) and below Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (28%). Residents of Perpignan have a median age of 42. Under-15s account for 17% of the population.
42median age
PerpignanPyrénées-Orientales medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
13%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma26%
CAP or BEP20%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education29%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 89 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Orientales 52.6%, France 51.8%.
Église du Vieux-Saint-Jean: Photo: LeZibou · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aqueduc des Arcades: Photo: Sylenius · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ancienne chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Anges: Photo: Palauenc05 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Citadelle ou ancien palais des Rois de Majorque et d'Aragon: Photo: kikiarg · CC BY-SA 3.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Perpignan
Is Perpignan safe?
It grades D− for safety, #40 of 43 in Pyrénées-Orientales. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 479 burglaries and 2,450 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Perpignan good?
They grade B+, better than 65% of compared French towns and #14 of 46 in Pyrénées-Orientales. The lycée stands out: 98% of 521 candidates passed the bac at Lycée François Arago 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 Perpignan expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,634/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.18/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Perpignan grades C+ for cost of living.
About Perpignan
Commune in Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie
Perpignan is a commune of 121,616 people in the Communauté urbaine Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole. 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.
