Jobs & income is its weak spot (C−): 0.9 jobs per working resident; 13.3% unemployment. Salernes grades C− overall, better than 16% of compared French towns. Its place in the ranking is #42 of 73 in Var. Housing is expensive (C−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 7.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Getting around on foot or by bus is easy: 53% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 12% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
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 Salernes 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 Salernes.
History
More protected monuments for its size in Salernes than in Var or compared French towns: 15 per 10,000 residents
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 17th century. The Culture ministry’s list holds 6 historic monuments in Salernes; none is classé, France’s top protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Salernes skews older, with 34% of residents 65 or over, more than in Var’s towns and across compared French towns
27% of adults hold a degree, below Var’s towns (31%) and compared French towns (30%) alike. Salernes has a median age of 54.1 years.
54.1median age
SalernesVar medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
34%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma19%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education27%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 88 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Var 51.4%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Var median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living C−
The median home in Salernes sells for €2,617/m², against €3,797/m² in Var’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house in Salernes goes for €3,321/m², an apartment for €1,833/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €11.95/m² a month, about level with compared French towns (€12.41/m²) and below Var’s towns (€14.43/m²). 228 houses and apartments changed hands here from July 2023 to June 2026.
€2,617/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Salernes€2,617/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Var median€3,797/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,321/m²
139
Apartments
€1,833/m²
89
€11.95/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.25 to €15.43/m² a month)
7.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€12.30/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,680
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Dracénie Provence Verdon Agglomération
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C+
Salernes’ death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 63% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Salernes is Centre hospitalier la Dracenie de Draguignan, 10.6 mi away. From 2016 to 2025, 714 residents of Salernes died, against 602 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 19% more. Its two care homes for older people (142 places) count their residents as Salernes’; allowing for them, deaths were 7% below expected. The town has 3 family doctors.
−7%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw119
Adjusted93
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Salernes · 3.5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
10.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier la Dracenie de Draguignan
11.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier la Dracenie de Draguignan
86 · 80.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Var, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Per resident, Salernes sees more crime than 52% of compared French towns
The yearly rates for 2023–2025: 9.2 violent offenses and 12.6 graded property crimes per 1,000 residents. The 2025 count: 66 offenses in Salernes. Also worth knowing: more of the graded crimes here were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
9.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearB−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage24
Family violence14
Other physical violence10
Sexual violence9
Burglary9
Armed robbery0
Theft without violence26
Fraud23
Drug use9
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.
9.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
12.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
66
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
8.7%
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 vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 8.7% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Nearby attractions
Terra Rossa and 7 more in and around Salernes
Other places to visit, museums and heritage in and near Salernes. Best known first.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Salernes
Is Salernes safe?
It grades B− for safety, #28 of 73 in Var. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 9 burglaries and 24 acts of criminal damage.
Is Salernes expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Salernes grades C− for cost of living.
About Salernes
Commune in Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Salernes is a commune of 4,019 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Dracénie Provence Verdon Agglomération. 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.
