Press kit · department 04

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

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 6 towns ranked Public data · Licence Ouverte (Etalab)
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La Grande Carte, “Press kit — Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/alpes-de-haute-provence-04 (accessed 28 September 2026).
<a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/alpes-de-haute-provence-04">Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 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
OraisonSmall cities6,0421 / 5353 / 1747
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 1152 / 470
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1422 / 5638 / 1747
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0953 / 5947 / 1747
SisteronSmall cities7,7764 / 51327 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6945 / 51338 / 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
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0951 / 5602 / 1747
SisteronSmall cities7,7762 / 5666 / 1747
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1423 / 51048 / 1747
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 1295 / 470
OraisonSmall cities6,0424 / 51532 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6945 / 51722 / 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
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1421 / 51 / 1747
SisteronSmall cities7,7762 / 518 / 1747
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0953 / 538 / 1747
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 129 / 470
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6944 / 5557 / 1747
OraisonSmall cities6,0425 / 5638 / 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
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1421 / 538 / 1747
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0952 / 5119 / 1747
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 153 / 470
SisteronSmall cities7,7763 / 5320 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6944 / 5628 / 1747
OraisonSmall cities6,0425 / 5719 / 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
OraisonSmall cities6,0421 / 5164 / 1747
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 175 / 470
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1422 / 5666 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6943 / 5803 / 1747
SisteronSmall cities7,7764 / 51042 / 1747
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0955 / 51194 / 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
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1421 / 514 / 1747
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 111 / 470
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0952 / 551 / 1747
OraisonSmall cities6,0423 / 569 / 1747
SisteronSmall cities7,7764 / 575 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6945 / 5470 / 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
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 1208 / 470
SisteronSmall cities7,7761 / 5781 / 1747
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1422 / 5794 / 1747
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0953 / 51475 / 1747
OraisonSmall cities6,0424 / 51553 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6945 / 51573 / 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
ManosqueMid-size cities22,8071 / 19 / 470
ForcalquierSmall cities5,1421 / 563 / 1747
SisteronSmall cities7,7762 / 5101 / 1747
Digne-les-BainsSmall cities17,6943 / 5103 / 1747
Château-Arnoux-Saint-AubanSmall cities5,0954 / 5133 / 1747
OraisonSmall cities6,0425 / 5154 / 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.