Press kit · department 03

Allier.

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 9 towns ranked Public data · Licence Ouverte (Etalab)
Cite this page
La Grande Carte, “Press kit — Allier (03)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/allier-03 (accessed 28 September 2026).
<a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/allier-03">Allier 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
DomératSmall cities8,6651 / 7175 / 1747
CommentrySmall cities6,0182 / 7689 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6703 / 7863 / 1747
CussetSmall cities13,3294 / 7872 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6845 / 71039 / 1747
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8986 / 71074 / 1747
MoulinsSmall cities19,3447 / 71198 / 1747
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 2344 / 470
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 2380 / 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: 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
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3171 / 2181 / 470
VichyMid-size cities25,7022 / 2193 / 470
CommentrySmall cities6,0181 / 7748 / 1747
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8982 / 7886 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6843 / 7939 / 1747
DomératSmall cities8,6654 / 71247 / 1747
CussetSmall cities13,3295 / 71268 / 1747
MoulinsSmall cities19,3446 / 71330 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6707 / 71513 / 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 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
MoulinsSmall cities19,3441 / 713 / 1747
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 25 / 470
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8982 / 7130 / 1747
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 264 / 470
CussetSmall cities13,3293 / 7457 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6704 / 7558 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6845 / 7881 / 1747
DomératSmall cities8,6656 / 71456 / 1747
CommentrySmall cities6,0187 / 71486 / 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
CommentrySmall cities6,0181 / 7391 / 1747
MoulinsSmall cities19,3442 / 7432 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6703 / 7433 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6844 / 7513 / 1747
CussetSmall cities13,3295 / 7638 / 1747
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 2173 / 470
DomératSmall cities8,6656 / 7780 / 1747
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 2210 / 470
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8987 / 7899 / 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
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 2244 / 470
CussetSmall cities13,3291 / 7980 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6842 / 71106 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6703 / 71268 / 1747
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8984 / 71317 / 1747
MoulinsSmall cities19,3445 / 71357 / 1747
CommentrySmall cities6,0186 / 71391 / 1747
DomératSmall cities8,6657 / 71702 / 1747
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 2463 / 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: 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
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 2122 / 470
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8981 / 7568 / 1747
CussetSmall cities13,3292 / 7660 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6843 / 7701 / 1747
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 2190 / 470
DomératSmall cities8,6654 / 7787 / 1747
MoulinsSmall cities19,3445 / 7920 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6706 / 7985 / 1747
CommentrySmall cities6,0187 / 71154 / 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
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8981 / 7287 / 1747
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 2193 / 470
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 2231 / 470
MoulinsSmall cities19,3442 / 71025 / 1747
CommentrySmall cities6,0183 / 71086 / 1747
DomératSmall cities8,6654 / 71089 / 1747
GannatSmall cities5,6845 / 71226 / 1747
CussetSmall cities13,3296 / 71361 / 1747
YzeureSmall cities12,6707 / 71687 / 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
Bellerive-sur-AllierSmall cities8,8981 / 7347 / 1747
VichyMid-size cities25,7021 / 2121 / 470
YzeureSmall cities12,6702 / 7683 / 1747
CussetSmall cities13,3293 / 7686 / 1747
MontluçonMid-size cities33,3172 / 2196 / 470
GannatSmall cities5,6844 / 7793 / 1747
CommentrySmall cities6,0185 / 7973 / 1747
MoulinsSmall cities19,3446 / 71098 / 1747
DomératSmall cities8,6657 / 71296 / 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.