The picture is mixed. Overall, La Roche-sur-Yon earns a B−: better than 46% of compared French towns, and #34 of 46 in Vendée. Crime runs high: an average of 10.7 recorded violent incidents and 20.6 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €2,391/m², a 70 m² home costs 6.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for schools, B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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 La Roche-sur-Yon 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 La Roche-sur-Yon.
Work & commuteJobs & income B−
21.2% of commuters in La Roche-sur-Yon go to work without a car, more than in Vendée’s towns and compared French towns
For its 22,500 residents in work, La Roche-sur-Yon has 46,600 jobs: 2.1 each. Of those in the labour force, 11.3% are unemployed. The median disposable income was €25,090 a year per consumption unit, below Vendée’s towns (€26,310) and close to compared French towns (€25,970).
21%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving75%
On foot9%
Public transport6%
Bicycle6%
Motorbike or scooter1%
46,600
jobs based in La Roche-sur-Yon, 2.1 per working resident
11.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€25,090
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 89% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
More crime per resident in La Roche-sur-Yon than in 84% of compared French towns
La Roche-sur-Yon’s tally for 2025: 1,638 recorded offenses. More of the graded crimes in the town were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
10.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage625
Other physical violence261
Family violence198
Sexual violence166
Theft from vehicles162
Burglary144
Vehicle theft77
Armed robbery5
Theft without violence523
Drug use402
Fraud341
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.
10.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
20.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,638
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 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 · The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Schools
89.3% of candidates passed the brevet at the seven collèges within 5 km, 2 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
On school results, the town ranks #24 of 34 in Vendée. At the five general lycées, 98% of 1,423 candidates passed the bac, at the expected rate.
98%passed the bac (general and technological)BSchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living C+
La Roche-sur-Yon gets a C+ for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses in La Roche-sur-Yon sell for €2,375/m² and apartments for €2,407/m². Estimated advertised rent for houses: €10.79/m² a month. The estimated advertised rent is €11.81/m² a month, in line with Vendée’s towns (€11.32/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
€2,391/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
La Roche-sur-Yon€2,391/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Vendée median€2,339/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,375/m²
1,295
Apartments
€2,407/m²
1,062
€11.81/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.53 to €14.63/m² a month)
6.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.79/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,990
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
8 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2017
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in La Roche-sur-Yon is Abbaye des Fontenelles (ancienne). Its oldest listed monument dates from the 13th century. 4% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Vendée’s towns (6.3%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth B−
Allowing for age and care homes, deaths in La Roche-sur-Yon run lower than in 53% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Life expectancy in Vendée: 85.5 years for women and 80.2 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. France’s death rates at each age would predict 5,399 deaths in La Roche-sur-Yon from 2016 to 2025; there were 5,255, 3% fewer. Its 10 care homes for older people (676 places) count their residents as La Roche-sur-Yon’s; allowing for them, deaths were 13% below expected. 48 GPs practise in the town.
−13%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw97
Adjusted87
Median town88
Expected100
48
GPs in La Roche-sur-Yon · 3.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Chd site la Roche Sur Yon
0.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Chd site la Roche Sur Yon
85.5 · 80.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Vendée, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Émile Faguet: Félix Potin company (1908), Public domain · Adlène Guedioura: Mustapha Ennaimi, CC BY 2.0 · Ciryl Gane: The White House, Public domain · Florent Chaigneau: XIIIfromTOKYO, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alexandre Bonnet: Luc-Éric Manneville, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Thomas Laurent: United Autosports, CC BY-SA 2.0
La Roche-sur-Yon’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 La Roche-sur-Yon
Is La Roche-sur-Yon safe?
It grades C− for safety, #43 of 46 in Vendée. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 144 burglaries and 625 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in La Roche-sur-Yon good?
They grade B, better than 63% of compared French towns and #24 of 34 in Vendée. 98% of 128 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Rosa Parks in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is La Roche-sur-Yon expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,391/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so La Roche-sur-Yon grades C+ for cost of living.
About La Roche-sur-Yon
Commune in Vendée, Pays de la Loire
La Roche-sur-Yon is a commune of 54,849 people in the Communauté d'agglomération La Roche-sur-Yon 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
Population
54,849 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération La Roche-sur-Yon Agglomération
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.
