A solid town with one catch. Where it does best is walkability: 84% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 15% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Les Sables-d'Olonne’s overall grade of B puts it better than 55% of compared French towns, #32 of 46 in Vendée. Health outcomes beat most towns: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 18% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Prices are high against local incomes: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 10.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Safety is weaker too — an average of 6.4 recorded violent incidents and 17.6 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne 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.
The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne: 6 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level).
The oldest protected part dates from prehistory; the first monument here was protected in 1903.
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2007.
3.7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
1903First protected: Menhir dit La Conche-Verte
2007The protected historic area is created
2012Most recently protected: Phare de l'Armandèche, situé à la Chaume
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Les Sables-d'Olonne.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Les Sables-d'Olonne than in Vendée’s towns or compared French towns: 10% are under 15
42% of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Vendée’s towns (23%) and compared French towns (22%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 7.9%. Line up the people of Les Sables-d'Olonne by age and the one in the middle is 59.6.
59.6median age
Les Sables-d'OlonneVendée medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
42%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma21%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education28%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 86 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Vendée 50.9%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Vendée median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living D
Homes in Les Sables-d'Olonne cost more than in Vendée’s towns or across compared French towns, with a median sale of €4,195/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €13.71/m² a month, higher than both Vendée’s towns (€11.32/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses in Les Sables-d'Olonne sell for €3,974/m² and apartments for €4,651/m². The market locally: 3,267 sales of houses and apartments between July 2023 and June 2026.
€4,195/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Les Sables-d'Olonne€4,195/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Vendée median€2,339/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,974/m²
1,924
Apartments
€4,651/m²
1,343
€13.71/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.84 to €17.34/m² a month)
10.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€11.83/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€27,660
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Les Sables d'Olonne Agglomération
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income B+
Les Sables-d'Olonne has higher unemployment than Vendée’s towns or compared French towns: 11.8%
The median disposable income was €28,010 a year per consumption unit, higher than both Vendée’s towns (€26,310) and compared French towns (€25,970). Les Sables-d'Olonne holds 19,950 jobs; 15,900 of its residents are in work, so 1.3 jobs each. At the census, 15.5% of commuters got to work without a car.
15%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving77%
Bicycle7%
On foot5%
Public transport3%
Motorbike or scooter3%
19,950
jobs based in Les Sables-d'Olonne, 1.3 per working resident
11.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€28,010
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 79% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Adjusted for age and care homes, Les Sables-d'Olonne sees fewer deaths than 67% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Les Sables-d'Olonne has 53 family doctors. Its 10 care homes for older people (855 places) count their residents as Les Sables-d'Olonne’s; allowing for them, deaths were 18% below expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 8,343 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 7,511, 10% fewer. Average lifespans in Vendée: 85.5 years for women, 80.2 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
−18%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw90
Adjusted82
Median town88
Expected100
53
GPs in Les Sables-d'Olonne · 4.2 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Cote de Lumiere
1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Cote de Lumiere
85.5 · 80.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Vendée, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
91.4% of candidates passed the brevet at the three collèges within 5 km, 1.9 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 93% passed the bac pro, of 249 candidates at 3 lycées. A collège lies 0.7 mi away. The town’s schools place #22 of 34 in Vendée on results.
97%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
More crime per resident in Les Sables-d'Olonne than in 62% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie figures for Les Sables-d'Olonne show 1,184 offenses in 2025. The commonest graded crime here was criminal damage (2025).
6.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage570
Burglary158
Other physical violence120
Sexual violence99
Family violence98
Theft from vehicles95
Vehicle theft44
Theft without violence413
Fraud381
Drug use222
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.
6.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
17.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,184
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 · Small counts of armed robbery go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 0.1% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
Les Sables-d'Olonne: 11 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2007. Its heritage reaches back to prehistory. Among the classé monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne is Menhir dit La Conche-Verte. Homes from before 1919 make up 3.7% of the total, below Vendée’s towns (6.3%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike.
The Culture ministry lists 11 historic monuments in Les Sables-d'Olonne: 6 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 5 inscrit (the second level).
Menhir dit La Conche-Verte: Photo: Liberliger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Château de Pierre-Levée: Photo: Olonnois · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Deux menhirs dénommés Les Pierres Jumelles: Photo: Olonnois · CC BY-SA 3.0
Famous people from Les Sables-d'Olonne
31 notable people were born in Les Sables-d'Olonne.
François l'Olonnais: Unknown, book by Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin, Public domain · Alexis Thébaux: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Florelle: Studio Harcourt., Public domain · Paul Christophe: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hélène Noesmoen: IPoriel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alexandre Cougnaud: Alexandrecougnaud, CC BY-SA 3.0
Les Sables-d'Olonne’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 Les Sables-d'Olonne
Is Les Sables-d'Olonne safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #37 of 46 in Vendée. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 158 burglaries and 570 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Les Sables-d'Olonne good?
They grade B+, better than 66% of compared French towns and #22 of 34 in Vendée. 96% of 266 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Savary de Mauléon in 2025, 2 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Les Sables-d'Olonne expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Les Sables-d'Olonne grades D for cost of living.
About Les Sables-d'Olonne
Commune in Vendée, Pays de la Loire
Les Sables-d'Olonne is a commune of 49,603 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Les Sables d'Olonne 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
49,603 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Les Sables d'Olonne 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.
