Charolles’s strongest subject is cost of living — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. The town grades A+ overall and ranks #3 of 29 in Saône-et-Loire. On that grade it does better than almost every compared French town. Add safety to its strengths (A): an average of 4.5 recorded violent incidents and 8.4 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment, INSEE census 2023.
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 Charolles 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 Charolles.
History
Charolles keeps more of its old housing than Saône-et-Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 21% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Scaled to its population, that is 25 protected monuments for every 10,000 people in Charolles. Among the classé monuments locally is Prieuré de la Magdeleine (ancien). Houses and mansions, 4 of the 7, make up the bulk. Its heritage reaches back to the 14th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living A
Renting in Charolles costs less than in Saône-et-Loire’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €8.41/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
96 sales of houses and apartments in Charolles, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,395/m². A house rents for an estimated €7.62/m² a month. Houses made up 83% of the homes sold; apartments the rest.
€1,395/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Charolles€1,395/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Saône-et-Loire median€1,438/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,438/m²
80
€8.41/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.41 to €11.03/m² a month)
4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€7.62/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,510
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Le Grand Charolais
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Charolles runs lower than in 91% of compared French towns
Charolles comes 3rd of the 29 compared towns in Saône-et-Loire on the Safety Grade. Jobs outnumber working residents in Charolles (2,050 to 1,000): it draws people in from around. Over 2025, Charolles logged 32 recorded offenses. The commonest graded crime locally was criminal damage (2025).
4.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearASafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage13
Sexual violence12
Family violence7
Armed robbery0
Drug use29
Fraud14
Theft without violence10
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.
4.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
8.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
32
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
18.0%
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 other physical violence, burglary, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (18.0% of the index here). As that share tops 10%, this Safety Grade carries more doubt than most. 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 B−
On foot, Charolles works better than 88% of compared French towns
Half of residents lived on more than €23,930 a year per consumption unit, near Saône-et-Loire’s towns (€24,330) and lower than compared French towns (€25,970). On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 16.8% of commuters travelled at the census. Of those in the labour force, 9.6% are unemployed.
17%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving73%
On foot15%
Motorbike or scooter2%
Bicycle1%
Public transport1%
2,050
jobs based in Charolles, 2 per working resident
9.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,930
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
8%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 88% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Older residents shape Charolles: 34% are 65 or over, above Saône-et-Loire’s towns and compared French towns
11% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Children under 15 make up 12%, below both Saône-et-Loire’s towns (15%) and compared French towns (17%). Graduates make up nearly a quarter of adults.
53.6median age
CharollesSaône-et-Loire medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
34%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma26%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat14%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 84 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Saône-et-Loire 52.3%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Saône-et-Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
Schools
90.0% of candidates passed the brevet at the collège within 5 km, a point below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Its collèges and lycées rank #13 of 31 in Saône-et-Loire on results. At the general lycée, 100% of 155 candidates passed the bac, 2 points above the expected rate.
100%passed the bac (general and technological)A−School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B−
Charolles’ death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is lower than in 51% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
In Saône-et-Loire, women can expect to live 85.5 years and men 78.9 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. Its care home for older people (150 places) counts its residents as Charolles’; allowing for it, deaths were 13% below expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 506 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 584, 15% more. The nearest emergency department to Charolles is Ch du Pays Charolais Brionnais, 8 mi away.
−13%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw115
Adjusted87
Median town88
Expected100
7
GPs in Charolles · 4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
8 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch du Pays Charolais Brionnais
8 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch du Pays Charolais Brionnais
85.5 · 78.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Saône-et-Loire, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Prieuré de la Magdeleine (ancien): Photo: Ce fichier est l’œuvre de Gérard Choquin Merci de créditer : Gérard Choquin / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA J’apprécierai que vous me l’indiquiez par courriel ( gerardchoquin orange.fr ) si vous reprenez cette image en-dehors d'un projet Wikimédia. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Château de Charles-Le-Téméraire (ancien): Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Couvent des Ursulines (ancien): Photo: Christophe.Finot · CC BY-SA 2.5
Michel Roux: Phil Guest from Bournemouth, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Louis Jacolliot: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Marie-Antoinette Tonnelat: Stamatia "Madeleine" Mavrides, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jean-François Bayard: Marie Alexandre Alophe, Public domain · Jean Hermil: Évêché de Viviers, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charles Bouissoud: Agence de presse Mondial Photo-Presse, Public domain
Charolles’ 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 Charolles
Is Charolles safe?
It grades A for safety, #3 of 29 in Saône-et-Loire.
Are schools in Charolles good?
They grade A−, better than 77% of compared French towns and #13 of 31 in Saône-et-Loire. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Charolles expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,395/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Charolles grades A for cost of living.
About Charolles
Commune in Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Charolles is a commune of 2,772 people in the Communauté de communes Le Grand Charolais. 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.
