Taken together, its subjects give Sablé-sur-Sarthe a B− overall, better than half of compared French towns. It ranks #27 of 31 in Sarthe. Its standout strength is cost of living: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Crime is the sore point: an average of 20.5 recorded violent incidents and 18.7 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior).
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 Sablé-sur-Sarthe 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 Sablé-sur-Sarthe.
Safety
Crime per resident in Sablé-sur-Sarthe runs higher than in 95% of compared French towns
In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes in Sablé-sur-Sarthe. Jobs outnumber working residents in Sablé-sur-Sarthe (12,250 to 4,500): it draws people in from around. This Sarthe town ranks last of the 31 compared towns in Sarthe on the Safety Grade. Its tally for 2025: 475 recorded offenses.
20.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage119
Other physical violence94
Family violence84
Sexual violence64
Burglary45
Theft from vehicles43
Vehicle theft26
Theft without violence113
Fraud74
Drug use59
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.
20.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
18.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
475
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Sablé-sur-Sarthe has higher unemployment than Sarthe’s towns or compared French towns: 16.4%
The typical income here, after tax and benefits, is €21,680 a year per consumption unit. Just over a quarter of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, higher than both Sarthe’s towns (10.7%) and compared French towns (13.4%).
26%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving68%
On foot15%
Public transport6%
Bicycle5%
Motorbike or scooter2%
12,250
jobs based in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, 2.7 per working resident
16.4%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€21,680
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
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
HousingCost of living A−
A home in Sablé-sur-Sarthe sells for €1,411/m², less than in both Sarthe’s towns and compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In Sablé-sur-Sarthe, houses go for €1,442/m² and apartments for €1,308/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €9.47/m² a month, near Sarthe’s towns (€9.64/m²) and lower than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses made up 79% of the homes sold; apartments the rest.
€1,411/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Sablé-sur-Sarthe€1,411/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Sarthe median€1,638/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,442/m²
267
Apartments
€1,308/m²
69
€9.47/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.60 to €11.82/m² a month)
4.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.17/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,090
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Pays Sabolien
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Sablé-sur-Sarthe has a lower adjusted death rate than 67% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Average lifespans in Sarthe: 85.9 years for women, 79.9 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. 1,601 deaths in Sablé-sur-Sarthe between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 1,506: 6% above. Adjusted for age and care homes, Sablé-sur-Sarthe records 82 deaths per 100 expected, about level with Sarthe’s towns (82) and below compared French towns (88). The nearest emergency department to Sablé-sur-Sarthe is Centre hospitalier Intercommunal, 7.3 mi away.
−18%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw106
Adjusted82
Median town88
Expected100
11
GPs in Sablé-sur-Sarthe · 2.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.3 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Intercommunal
17.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Intercommunal du Haut Anjou
85.9 · 79.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Sarthe, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
3 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 1987
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
2 of the 3 are houses and mansions. Since 1987, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area. Sablé-sur-Sarthe has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 2 inscrit, the second level. Its oldest listed monument dates from the 14th century.
3historic monuments
Monuments by protection · Mérimée
Classé1
Inscrit2
14th c.
oldest protected part
1970
first monument protected
1987
protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable)
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Students and young workers shape Sablé-sur-Sarthe: 14% are 15 to 24, above Sarthe’s towns and compared French towns
Degrees are held by 18% of adults, below both Sarthe’s towns (22%) and compared French towns (30%). Sablé-sur-Sarthe has a median age of 43.7. Retirement age and beyond: nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or older.
43.7median age
Sablé-sur-SartheSarthe medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
14%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma34%
CAP or BEP26%
Baccalauréat14%
Higher education18%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Sarthe 51.6%, France 51.8%.
Prosper Guéranger: Claude Ferdinand Gaillard, Public domain · Pierre Péan: Rama, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Amandine Tissier: Kergourlay, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alain Choquart: MiamiFilmFestival, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Albert Matignon: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Joseph Malicot: Atelier Malicot, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sablé-sur-Sarthe’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 Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Is Sablé-sur-Sarthe safe?
It grades D for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 45 burglaries and 119 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Sablé-sur-Sarthe good?
They grade B−, better than 46% of compared French towns and #21 of 34 in Sarthe. The lycée stands out: 100% of 47 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Sainte-Anne 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 Sablé-sur-Sarthe expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Sablé-sur-Sarthe grades A− for cost of living.
About Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Commune in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire
Sablé-sur-Sarthe is a commune of 12,326 people in the Communauté de communes du Pays Sabolien. 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.
