Vaison-la-Romaine’s grades cluster near the middle. The weak point is cost of living (C) — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 8.8 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. The town ranks #7 of 38 in Vaucluse, with a B− overall. Set against the rest, it does better than 48% of compared French towns. Schools are where it shines — bac results 2 points above the expected rate; brevet results 3 points below the expected rate.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · 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.
What makes Vaison-la-Romaine stand out
The 3 things Vaison-la-Romaine does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Vaison-la-Romaine 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.
Hazard riskNot graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas–
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Ancienne cathédrale et cloître · Classé · Photo: Véronique PAGNIER · Public domain
Vaison-la-Romaine’s story
Vaison-la-Romaine in pictures
The Culture ministry lists 14 historic monuments in Vaison-la-Romaine: 11 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level).
That’s 23 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 96% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5.
The oldest protected part dates from Antiquity, and the first monument here was protected in 1840, on France’s very first list.
Wikidata records 3 people born in Vaison-la-Romaine before 1900, the earliest Joseph Pagnol, in 1869.
1840First protected: Ancienne cathédrale et cloître
2002Most recently protected: Villa dite "do mi si la do ré" ou "villa verte"
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
Musée archéologique Théo-Desplans: Allie_Caulfield Camera location 44° 14′ 35.3″ N, 5° 04′ 31.38″ E View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap 44.243139; 5.075383, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Site archéologique de la Villasse: Allie_Caulfield Camera location 44° 14′ 31.48″ N, 5° 04′ 19.02″ E View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap 44.242078; 5.071950, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Vaison-la-Romaine.
History
More protected monuments for its size in Vaison-la-Romaine than in Vaucluse or compared French towns: 23 per 10,000 residents
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Vaison-la-Romaine is Ancienne cathédrale et cloître. The Culture ministry lists 14 historic monuments in the town: 11 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level). Its heritage reaches back to Antiquity.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Older residents shape Vaison-la-Romaine: 38% are 65 or over, above Vaucluse’s towns and compared French towns
12% of residents are children under 15. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.1% of residents, below Vaucluse’s towns (9.7%) and compared French towns (11%) alike. Vaison-la-Romaine has a median age of 56.6 years.
56.6median age
Vaison-la-RomaineVaucluse medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
38%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma22%
CAP or BEP22%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education30%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 86 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Vaucluse 51.9%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Vaucluse median and France median: the median of compared communes
Work & commuteJobs & income C
More people in Vaison-la-Romaine are out of work than in Vaucluse’s towns or across compared French towns: 13.9%
The median disposable income is €23,780 a year per consumption unit. Jobs located in Vaison-la-Romaine: 3,700, for 2,000 residents in work (1.9 each). At the census, 21.0% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above Vaucluse’s towns (8.0%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike.
21%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving72%
On foot15%
Bicycle4%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
3,700
jobs based in Vaison-la-Romaine, 1.9 per working resident
13.9%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,780
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
6%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B+
Walkability: better than 75% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living C
Homes in Vaison-la-Romaine cost more than in both Vaucluse’s towns and compared French towns, with a median sale of €3,112/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The split in Vaison-la-Romaine: €3,384/m² for houses, €2,770/m² for apartments. Advertised rents are estimated at €11.07/m² a month, below both Vaucluse’s towns (€11.81/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses made up 68% of the homes sold; apartments the rest.
€3,112/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Vaison-la-Romaine€3,112/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Vaucluse median€2,616/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,384/m²
163
Apartments
€2,770/m²
78
€11.07/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.96 to €13.69/m² a month)
8.8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.41/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,660
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Vaison Ventoux
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Schools
88.0% of candidates passed the brevet at the collège within 5 km, 3 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Near Vaison-la-Romaine, 99.0% of lycée candidates passed the bac, higher than both Vaucluse’s towns (92.6%) and compared French towns (92.9%). For collège, the closest is 0.9 mi away. Ranked by results, schools here are #4 of 36 in Vaucluse.
99%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
Mortality in Vaison-la-Romaine, once ages and care homes are allowed for, undercuts Vaucluse’s towns and compared French towns: 83 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 1,132 residents of Vaison-la-Romaine died, against 1,088 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 4% more. Women in Vaucluse live to 85.7 on average and men to 80.3 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. For a family doctor, residents of Vaison-la-Romaine can choose among 9 GPs.
−17%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw104
Adjusted83
Median town88
Expected100
9
GPs in Vaison-la-Romaine · 5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Smur Ch Orange site Vaison la Romaine
13.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Louis Giorgi D Orange
85.7 · 80.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Vaucluse, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Crime per resident in Vaison-la-Romaine is higher than in 64% of compared French towns
On average over 2023–2025, every 1,000 residents saw 7.9 violent offenses and 16.7 graded property crimes a year. Police and gendarmerie figures for Vaison-la-Romaine show 163 offenses in 2025. Among the graded crimes in the town, the most frequent was criminal damage (2025).
7.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage53
Burglary31
Other physical violence23
Sexual violence23
Family violence18
Theft from vehicles9
Vehicle theft6
Armed robbery0
Fraud50
Theft without violence47
Drug use39
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.
7.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
16.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
163
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
1.7%
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 · The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
The Culture ministry lists 14 historic monuments in Vaison-la-Romaine: 11 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level).
Mur romain bordant la rivière de l'Ouvèze en amont de la passerelle (restes): Photo: Marianne Casamance · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pont romain: Photo: Ludovic Péron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Site archéologique de la Villasse: Photo: Allie_Caulfield Lieu de la prise de vue 44° 14′ 31,48″ N, 5° 04′ 19,02″ E Voir cet endroit et d’autres images sur : OpenStreetMap 44.242078; 5.071950 · CC BY 2.0 · Terrains de fouilles gallo-romaines de la colline du Puymin (ensemble): Photo: Vi..Cult... · CC BY-SA 3.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Vaison-la-Romaine
Is Vaison-la-Romaine safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #29 of 38 in Vaucluse. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 31 burglaries and 53 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Vaison-la-Romaine good?
They grade B+, better than 70% of compared French towns and #4 of 36 in Vaucluse. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Vaison-la-Romaine expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Vaison-la-Romaine grades C for cost of living.
About Vaison-la-Romaine
Commune in Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Vaison-la-Romaine is a commune of 6,058 people in the Communauté de communes Vaison Ventoux. 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.
