Villefranche-sur-Saône grades C overall, better than 27% of compared French towns, and ranks #94 of 107 in Rhône. Police record more crime here than in most towns: an average of 12.9 recorded violent incidents and 25 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Jobs & income is weaker too: 1.4 jobs per working resident; 14.8% unemployment. Its best grade is for walkability — 100% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 31% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Buying 70 m² at the median €2,500/m² takes 6.9 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Villefranche Beaujolais Saône. School results are strong (B+): bac results 0.7 points above the expected rate; brevet results 0.7 points below the expected rate.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · 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 Villefranche-sur-Saône 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 Villefranche-sur-Saône.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Incomes in Villefranche-sur-Saône run lower than in Rhône’s towns or compared French towns: a median €22,150 a year per consumption unit
14.8% of the labour force were unemployed, higher than both Rhône’s towns (8.1%) and compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 31.3% of commuters got to work without a car.
31%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving65%
Public transport16%
On foot13%
Bicycle3%
Motorbike or scooter1%
20,400
jobs based in Villefranche-sur-Saône, 1.4 per working resident
14.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,150
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 97% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Villefranche-sur-Saône records more crime per resident than 94% of compared French towns
The police record for Villefranche-sur-Saône lists 1,397 offenses in 2025. This Rhône town has 20,400 jobs for 14,200 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work. In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes in the town.
12.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage528
Other physical violence219
Theft from vehicles189
Family violence163
Burglary135
Vehicle theft89
Sexual violence74
Theft without violence485
Fraud329
Drug use296
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.
12.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
25
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,397
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
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 · 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, 0.1% 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.
HousingCost of living C−
The median home in Villefranche-sur-Saône sells for €2,500/m², against €3,666/m² in Rhône’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €12.92/m² a month, about level with compared French towns (€12.41/m²) and below Rhône’s towns (€14.83/m²). Houses sell for €2,922/m² in Villefranche-sur-Saône, apartments for €2,436/m². The town recorded 1,519 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026.
€2,500/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Villefranche-sur-Saône€2,500/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Rhône median€3,666/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,922/m²
224
Apartments
€2,436/m²
1,295
€12.92/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.03 to €16.64/m² a month)
6.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€12.03/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,490
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Villefranche Beaujolais Saône
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
22 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2014
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Villefranche-sur-Saône is Immeuble dit Maison de l'Italien. Per 10,000 residents, Villefranche-sur-Saône counts 6.1 protected monuments, higher than both Rhône’s towns (1.8) and compared French towns (2.5). Most of the list is houses and mansions: 16 of 22. The earliest of these monuments dates from the 15th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
More pass the bac at the lycées near Villefranche-sur-Saône than in Rhône’s towns or compared French towns: 96.6%
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 93% passed the bac pro, of 271 candidates at 3 lycées. Near Villefranche-sur-Saône, 89.6% of collège pupils passed the brevet, lower than Rhône’s towns (91.9%) yet higher than compared French towns (87.5%). By results, schools here place #31 of 115 in Rhône.
97%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
INSEE, census 2023 · Rhône median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth B
Allowing for age and care homes, Villefranche-sur-Saône sees 86 deaths per 100 expected, against 76 in Rhône’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
There are 26 general practitioners in Villefranche-sur-Saône. In Rhône, life expectancy at birth reaches 87.1 years for women and 81.9 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. France’s death rates at each age would predict 3,407 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 3,313, 3% fewer.
−14%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw97
Adjusted86
Median town88
Expected100
26
GPs in Villefranche-sur-Saône · 3.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.8 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Polyclinique du Beaujolais
1.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Nord Ouest Villefranche
87.1 · 81.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Rhône, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Immeuble dit Maison de l'Italien: Photo: Nesme · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hôpital (ancien): Photo: Nesme · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Notre-Dame-des-Marais: Photo: Andrzej Harassek · CC BY-SA 3.0
Famous people from Villefranche-sur-Saône
68 notable people were born in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
Benjamin Biolay: Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0 · François Picard: Unknown photographer, Public domain · Coralie Clément: Flavio Chan, CC BY 2.0 · Benoît Langénieux: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Frédéric Bessy: Ludovic Péron, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hubert Velud: Mickael Denet, CC BY-SA 3.0
Villefranche-sur-Saône’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 Villefranche-sur-Saône
Is Villefranche-sur-Saône safe?
It grades D for safety, #94 of 107 in Rhône. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 135 burglaries and 528 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Villefranche-sur-Saône good?
They grade B+, better than 71% of compared French towns and #31 of 115 in Rhône. The lycée stands out: 100% of 113 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Notre-Dame in 2025, 2 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Villefranche-sur-Saône expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Villefranche-sur-Saône grades C− for cost of living.
About Villefranche-sur-Saône
Commune in Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Villefranche-sur-Saône is a commune of 36,172 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Villefranche Beaujolais Saône. 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.
