The data are hard on it. Where it falls short is safety (D): an average of 9 recorded violent incidents and 25.5 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Jobs and pay trail most towns: 1.6 jobs per working resident; 17.0% unemployment. Buying 70 m² at the median €2,037/m² takes 6.3 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté urbaine Perpignan Méditerranée Métropole. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy: 93% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 13% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. All told, that adds up to a D overall and a rank of #35 of 43 in Pyrénées-Orientales. It comes out better than 6% of compared French towns.
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 Rivesaltes 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 Rivesaltes.
Safety
Rivesaltes sees more crime per resident than 90% of compared French towns
More of the graded crimes in Rivesaltes were criminal damage than anything else (2025). Police and gendarmerie recorded 330 offenses locally in 2025. The town has 5,200 jobs for 3,300 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work.
9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage111
Theft from vehicles54
Burglary52
Family violence38
Vehicle theft30
Other physical violence29
Sexual violence16
Theft without violence73
Fraud71
Drug use44
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
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
25.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
330
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 · 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, 0.2% 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.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Rivesaltes has higher unemployment than Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns or compared French towns: 17.0%
The median disposable income was €22,080 a year per consumption unit, below Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (€24,140) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. At the census, 3.2% of working residents in Rivesaltes didn’t travel to work at all. 13.1% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
13%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving82%
On foot7%
Bicycle3%
Public transport3%
Motorbike or scooter1%
5,200
jobs based in Rivesaltes, 1.6 per working resident
17.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,080
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 81% 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 home in Rivesaltes sells for €2,037/m², less than in Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns and across compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In Rivesaltes, houses go for €2,239/m² and apartments for €1,749/m². 293 houses and apartments changed hands locally from July 2023 to June 2026. Estimated advertised rent for houses: €10.65/m² a month.
€2,037/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Rivesaltes€2,037/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pyrénées-Orientales median€2,444/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,239/m²
237
Apartments
€1,749/m²
56
€11.80/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.66 to €14.42/m² a month)
6.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.65/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
HealthHealth C
Rivesaltes’ death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 70% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
After the care-home adjustment, Rivesaltes’ deaths ran at 95 per 100 expected, about level with Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (96) and above compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 884 residents of Rivesaltes died, against 919 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 4% fewer. Average lifespans in Pyrénées-Orientales: 85.5 years for women, 78.9 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. For a family doctor, residents of Rivesaltes can choose among 17 GPs.
−5%deaths against expected, after care homesCHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw96
Adjusted95
Median town88
Expected100
17
GPs in Rivesaltes · 3.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
3.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Saint Jean Perpignan
3.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Saint Jean Perpignan
85.5 · 78.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pyrénées-Orientales, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Rivesaltes skews young, with 11% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than in Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns and across compared French towns
Nearly a quarter of adults hold a degree, below Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (27%) and compared French towns (30%) alike. Over-65s are nearly a quarter of the population. The median resident of Rivesaltes is 45.5 years old.
45.5median age
RivesaltesPyrénées-Orientales medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma23%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 90 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Orientales 52.6%, France 51.8%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Rivesaltes
Is Rivesaltes safe?
It grades D for safety, #37 of 43 in Pyrénées-Orientales. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 52 burglaries and 111 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Rivesaltes good?
They grade C, better than 35% of compared French towns and #30 of 46 in Pyrénées-Orientales. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Rivesaltes expensive to live in?
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €11.80/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Rivesaltes grades C for cost of living.
About Rivesaltes
Commune in Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie
Rivesaltes is a commune of 9,270 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.
