Ariège.
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.
La Grande Carte, “Press kit — Ariège (09)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/ariege-09 (accessed 28 September 2026). <a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/ariege-09">Ariège press kit — La Grande Carte</a> Safest cities.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 1 / 4 | 1393 / 1747 |
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 2 / 4 | 1465 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 3 / 4 | 1582 / 1747 |
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 4 / 4 | 1637 / 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.
Best environmental quality.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 1 / 4 | 877 / 1747 |
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 2 / 4 | 1241 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 3 / 4 | 1386 / 1747 |
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 4 / 4 | 1550 / 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.
Best cities for health.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 1 / 4 | 63 / 1747 |
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 2 / 4 | 139 / 1747 |
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 3 / 4 | 179 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 4 / 4 | 247 / 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.
Best cities for families.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 1 / 4 | 351 / 1747 |
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 2 / 4 | 359 / 1747 |
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 3 / 4 | 390 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 4 / 4 | 406 / 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.
Most dynamic cities.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 1 / 4 | 317 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 2 / 4 | 1437 / 1747 |
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 3 / 4 | 1495 / 1747 |
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 4 / 4 | 1542 / 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.
Best quality of life.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 1 / 4 | 376 / 1747 |
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 2 / 4 | 557 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 3 / 4 | 562 / 1747 |
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 4 / 4 | 1004 / 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.
Best-managed municipalities.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 1 / 4 | 691 / 1747 |
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 2 / 4 | 1303 / 1747 |
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 3 / 4 | 1352 / 1747 |
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 4 / 4 | 1624 / 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.
Preserved nature & environment.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Girons | Small cities | 6,129 | 1 / 4 | 363 / 1747 |
| Foix | Small cities | 9,731 | 2 / 4 | 385 / 1747 |
| Lavelanet | Small cities | 6,018 | 3 / 4 | 729 / 1747 |
| Pamiers | Small cities | 16,512 | 4 / 4 | 890 / 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.
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.