Fewer journeys need a car (A+): 97% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 31% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Homes sell for a median €1,439/m²: 70 m² comes to 4 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Le Grand Chalon. Put together, the subjects come to a B+ overall, better than two thirds of compared French towns. In the ranking it comes #23 of 29 in Saône-et-Loire.
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.
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 Chalon-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 Chalon-sur-Saône.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
A walkable place: Chalon-sur-Saône beats 97% of compared French towns on foot
The median disposable income was €21,780 a year per consumption unit, below Saône-et-Loire’s towns (€24,330) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. 16.2% of the labour force are out of work. Bus, tram or train carried 9.6% of working residents in Chalon-sur-Saône to work at the census.
31%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving64%
On foot16%
Public transport10%
Bicycle6%
Motorbike or scooter1%
31,700
jobs based in Chalon-sur-Saône, 1.8 per working resident
16.2%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€21,780
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
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 1974, and 46 historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Most of the list is houses and mansions: 24 of 46. Since 1974, a site patrimonial remarquable has protected part of the town. Per 10,000 residents, Chalon-sur-Saône counts 10 protected monuments, above both Saône-et-Loire’s towns (3.1) and compared French towns (2.5). Among the classé monuments locally is Cathédrale Saint-Vincent (ancienne).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Safety
Per resident, Chalon-sur-Saône sees more crime than 70% of compared French towns
With 31,700 jobs for 17,650 working residents, Chalon-sur-Saône draws people in from neighbouring communes. Violence against people ran at 10.4 per 1,000 residents a year and the graded property crimes at 15.7 (2023–2025 average). In all, 1,264 offenses reached the police record in the town in 2025. Among the graded crimes locally, the most frequent was criminal damage (2025).
10.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage477
Family violence214
Other physical violence174
Theft from vehicles125
Burglary111
Sexual violence85
Vehicle theft78
Drug use641
Theft without violence498
Fraud277
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.
10.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
15.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,264
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 · When armed robbery number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (0.1% of the index here). 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.
HousingCost of living B+
For cost of living, Chalon-sur-Saône gets a B+
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €11.35/m² a month, higher than Saône-et-Loire’s towns (€9.77/m²) yet lower than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €1,439/m², comes from 2,118 sales of houses and apartments in Chalon-sur-Saône from July 2023 to June 2026. In Chalon-sur-Saône, houses go for €1,943/m² and apartments for €1,379/m².
€1,439/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Chalon-sur-Saône€1,439/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Saône-et-Loire median€1,438/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,943/m²
282
Apartments
€1,379/m²
1,836
€11.35/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.02 to €14.28/m² a month)
4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.14/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,440
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Le Grand Chalon
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Schools
86.7% of candidates passed the brevet at the eight collèges within 5 km, 2.5 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The town’s schools place #19 of 31 in Saône-et-Loire on results. Near Chalon-sur-Saône, 94.3% of lycée candidates passed the bac, close to Saône-et-Loire’s towns (94.3%) and above compared French towns (92.9%).
96%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B
Adjusted for age and care homes, Chalon-sur-Saône sees fewer deaths than 63% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Ages and care homes taken into account, deaths in Chalon-sur-Saône come to 83 per 100 predicted. 4,668 deaths in the town between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 4,853: 4% below. Life expectancy in Saône-et-Loire: 85.5 years for women and 78.9 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. There are 29 general practitioners locally.
−17%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw96
Adjusted83
Median town88
Expected100
29
GPs in Chalon-sur-Saône · 3.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch William Morey Chalon Sur Saone
1.1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch William Morey Chalon Sur Saone
85.5 · 78.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Saône-et-Loire, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Students and young workers shape Chalon-sur-Saône: 14% are 15 to 24, above Saône-et-Loire’s towns and compared French towns
Over-65s are 23% of the population. 16% are under 15, above Saône-et-Loire’s towns (15%) but below compared French towns (17%). Degrees are held by 28% of adults.
41.5median age
Chalon-sur-SaôneSaône-et-Loire medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
14%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma23%
CAP or BEP25%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education28%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 89 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Saône-et-Loire 52.3%, France 51.8%.
Nicéphore Niépce: Léonard François Berger, Public domain · Vivant Denon: Robert Lefèvre, Public domain · Gérard Collomb: Arthur Empereur, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Patrick Desbois: U.S. Department of State, photographer not specified, Public domain · Prosper Bressant: Théobald Chartran, Public domain · Just de Bretenières: Charles de Coubertin, Public domain
Chalon-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 Chalon-sur-Saône
Is Chalon-sur-Saône safe?
It grades C for safety, #23 of 29 in Saône-et-Loire. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 111 burglaries and 477 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Chalon-sur-Saône good?
They grade B+, better than 66% of compared French towns and #19 of 31 in Saône-et-Loire. The lycée stands out: 99% of 107 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé polyvalent Saint-Charles in 2025, 3 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Chalon-sur-Saône expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,439/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Chalon-sur-Saône grades B+ for cost of living.
About Chalon-sur-Saône
Commune in Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune of 45,102 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Le Grand Chalon. 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.
