Press kit · department 02

Aisne.

Every town in the department ranked on each criterion, ready to be reused. Each town is compared with French towns of the same size tier — a market town is never measured against a major city. Free to reuse, including commercially, on the sole condition that you credit La Grande Carte with a link to this page.

8 rankings 10 towns ranked Public data · Licence Ouverte (Etalab)
Cite this page
La Grande Carte, “Press kit — Aisne (02)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/aisne-02 (accessed 29 September 2026).
<a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/aisne-02">Aisne press kit — La Grande Carte</a>
01.

Safest cities.

Low crime, rare assaults, few burglaries, downward trend — data from the French Ministry of Interior

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
GauchySmall cities5,1971 / 7697 / 1747
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6671 / 3213 / 470
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0682 / 71280 / 1747
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7243 / 71376 / 1747
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9952 / 3410 / 470
ChaunySmall cities11,4564 / 71534 / 1747
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3765 / 71571 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5656 / 71588 / 1747
LaonMid-size cities24,0663 / 3446 / 470
TergnierSmall cities13,2617 / 71659 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Safest cities.

02.

Best environmental quality.

Compliant drinking water, far from nuclear plants, low radon, low seismic risk, balanced soils, no major hazard

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6671 / 332 / 470
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3761 / 7316 / 1747
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0682 / 7407 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5653 / 7410 / 1747
ChaunySmall cities11,4564 / 7807 / 1747
TergnierSmall cities13,2615 / 71163 / 1747
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7246 / 71233 / 1747
LaonMid-size cities24,0662 / 3334 / 470
GauchySmall cities5,1977 / 71349 / 1747
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9953 / 3370 / 470

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Best environmental quality.

03.

Best cities for health.

Access to GPs (APL), hospitals and specialists, drinking water quality, radon and nuclear exposure

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0681 / 7167 / 1747
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9951 / 3100 / 470
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6672 / 3110 / 470
LaonMid-size cities24,0663 / 3243 / 470
ChaunySmall cities11,4562 / 7952 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5653 / 71068 / 1747
GauchySmall cities5,1974 / 71198 / 1747
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7245 / 71433 / 1747
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3766 / 71473 / 1747
TergnierSmall cities13,2617 / 71624 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Best cities for health.

04.

Best cities for families.

Schools and nurseries, safety, doctors, sport and culture, shops, fibre internet — everything to raise kids well

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7241 / 7496 / 1747
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6671 / 3146 / 470
ChaunySmall cities11,4562 / 7549 / 1747
LaonMid-size cities24,0662 / 3154 / 470
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0683 / 7814 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5654 / 7840 / 1747
GauchySmall cities5,1975 / 7851 / 1747
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9953 / 3273 / 470
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3766 / 71272 / 1747
TergnierSmall cities13,2617 / 71327 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Best cities for families.

05.

Most dynamic cities.

Growing population, rising incomes, falling unemployment, strong municipal investment, recent housing

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0681 / 7613 / 1747
ChaunySmall cities11,4562 / 7811 / 1747
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3763 / 71124 / 1747
GauchySmall cities5,1974 / 71141 / 1747
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7245 / 71382 / 1747
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6671 / 3380 / 470
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9952 / 3403 / 470
LaonMid-size cities24,0663 / 3417 / 470
TergnierSmall cities13,2616 / 71664 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5657 / 71712 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Most dynamic cities.

06.

Best quality of life.

Overall synthesis: amenities, safety, doctors, incomes, fibre, nearby nature, healthy water, low unemployment

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6671 / 3259 / 470
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9952 / 3322 / 470
LaonMid-size cities24,0663 / 3354 / 470
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0681 / 71366 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5652 / 71520 / 1747
GauchySmall cities5,1973 / 71566 / 1747
ChaunySmall cities11,4564 / 71574 / 1747
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3765 / 71675 / 1747
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7246 / 71681 / 1747
TergnierSmall cities13,2617 / 71739 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Best quality of life.

07.

Best-managed municipalities.

Positive operating balance, controlled debt, strong investment, reasonable property tax rate

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6671 / 367 / 470
LaonMid-size cities24,0662 / 371 / 470
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7241 / 7460 / 1747
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3762 / 7500 / 1747
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9953 / 3160 / 470
ChaunySmall cities11,4563 / 7817 / 1747
TergnierSmall cities13,2614 / 7967 / 1747
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0685 / 71153 / 1747
GauchySmall cities5,1976 / 71671 / 1747
HirsonSmall cities8,5657 / 71696 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Best-managed municipalities.

08.

Preserved nature & environment.

National parks, nature reserves, Natura 2000, regional parks, far from nuclear, no major risks — preserved France

Top-ranked in the department

TownSize tierPopulationRank in its tier · DepartmentRank in its tier · France
HirsonSmall cities8,5651 / 7164 / 1747
Villers-CotterêtsSmall cities10,3762 / 7322 / 1747
LaonMid-size cities24,0661 / 3216 / 470
Saint-QuentinMid-size cities52,9952 / 3224 / 470
TergnierSmall cities13,2613 / 7881 / 1747
Château-ThierrySmall cities15,0684 / 7934 / 1747
SoissonsMid-size cities28,6673 / 3290 / 470
Bohain-en-VermandoisSmall cities5,7245 / 71440 / 1747
ChaunySmall cities11,4566 / 71459 / 1747
GauchySmall cities5,1977 / 71581 / 1747

Both tables are sorted by national rank within the size tier, the only measure that is comparable between a small town and a large city. The department rank is read within the same tier: a town that is the only one of its size in the department is therefore automatically ranked 1 of 1.

Full national ranking: Preserved nature & environment.

Method and limits

What these tables say — and what they don’t.

  • Scores are composite: each criterion carries a published weight, shown under each national ranking.
  • Towns are ranked within a population tier (5,000–20,000, 20,000–100,000, over 100,000 inhabitants). Towns under 5,000 inhabitants are not ranked.
  • A town missing the data for a criterion is left out of that ranking, never ranked last by default.
  • This is not a league table of lived quality of life: these figures reflect the public data available, with its blind spots and publication delays.
  • Crime figures are offences recorded by the police and the gendarmerie: they depend on whether victims report them and on how present the services are.

Sources, data years and weightings: About page. A question, a figure that looks wrong to you, a request for a custom breakdown — contact@lagrandecarte.fr.