In Saint-Genis-Laval, 18% of households are headed by a manager or professional, more than in 84% of compared French towns
The share of households without a car is 14%, against 11% in the typical compared French town. Saint-Genis-Laval had 21,212 residents in 9,240 households at the 2023 Census. The census found that 58% of homes are flats here. On empty homes, Saint-Genis-Laval sits lower than 78% of compared French towns: 4.7%.
Throughout this page, the Rhône 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.
+3% since 2012: slower than 58% 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
The median Rhône town changed +10% and the median compared French town +5%; here the first five years brought +3% and the next six ±0%.
Saint-Genis-Laval: 12% of residents are 15 to 24, above 77% of compared French towns
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Saint-Genis-Laval 43.4. The median compared French town: 44.
With a median age of 43.4, Saint-Genis-Laval is younger than 54% of compared French towns. By way of comparison, 11% of residents are 15 to 24 in the typical compared French town. The share of residents aged 65 and over stands at 22%.
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Rhône 51.5%, France 51.8%.
Saint-Genis-Laval sits above 60% of compared French towns for couples with children (27%)
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 Rhône median and the France median
Living alone · share
Households here average 2.3 people each. By way of comparison, a quarter of households are couples with children in the typical compared French town. The share of one-person households is 37%, against 35% in the typical compared French town.
In Saint-Genis-Laval, 15% of households rent social housing (HLM), more than in 62% of compared French towns
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
Saint-Genis-Laval sits close to the norm on second homes: 1.5%, about the same as in the typical compared French town. On average, just over one in ten households rent social housing (HLM) in the typical compared French town.
€30,480 a year is the median standard of living here
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.
At €30,480 a year per consumption unit, the median standard of living here is higher than in 87% of compared French towns. 11.7% of the population lives below the poverty line.
Households headed by a manual worker make up 9.8% in Saint-Genis-Laval, less than in 78% 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
In the typical compared French town, nearly a third of households are headed by a retired person; in Saint-Genis-Laval, 34%. Households headed by a manual worker make up 14% in the typical compared French town.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
A higher share of immigrants than 72% of compared French towns, at 10%
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.
In the typical compared French town, the share of foreign nationals is 4.3%; Saint-Genis-Laval has 6.5%.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
In Saint-Genis-Laval, 46% of residents 15 and over are married, more than in 70% of compared French towns
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
The share of single residents tops 66% of compared French towns: 28%. For married residents, the comparison in the typical compared French town is 43%.
Saint-Genis-Laval: 44% of adults out of school hold a higher-education qualification, above 87% 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
The share of adults with no qualification trails just over two thirds of compared French towns: 16%. As a reference point, 30% of adults out of school hold a higher-education qualification in the typical compared French town.
Of 41 French towns its size (20,566 to 21,907 people), the 8th 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.
The youngest is Carrières-sous-Poissy (32.6), the oldest Concarneau (53.9).
A younger town than 2 of the 6 around it: Saint-Genis-Laval
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Genis-Laval | 43.4 | 22% | 1.5% | 10% |
| Oullins-Pierre-Bénite 38,168 · 1.5 mi | 36.9 | 17% | 1.7% | 15% |
| Irigny 9,034 · 1.8 mi | 41.5 | 20% | 1.2% | 8.7% |
| Brignais 12,503 · 2.2 mi | 42 | 22% | 1.4% | 8.4% |
| Vourles 3,332 · 2.5 mi | 47.2 | 23% | 1.2% | 4.9% |
| Chaponost 9,382 · 2.5 mi | 44 | 22% | 1.7% | 6.3% |
| La Mulatière 6,534 · 2.6 mi | 41.9 | 22% | 1.8% | 17% |
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 Saint-Genis-Laval
What is the population of Saint-Genis-Laval?
21,212 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 3% more than in 2012 (20,632).
How old are Saint-Genis-Laval’s residents?
The median age is 43.4, younger than 54% of compared French towns. 22% are under 18 and 22% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Saint-Genis-Laval?
150, with occasional dwellings: 1.5% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Saint-Genis-Laval?
INSEE counts 2,190 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 10% of residents, and 1,390 foreign nationals (6.5%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
What is the median income in Saint-Genis-Laval?
€30,480 a year per consumption unit in 2023 (median of compared French towns €25,970); 11.7% 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.