Haute-Loire.
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 — Haute-Loire (43)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/haute-loire-43 (accessed 28 September 2026). <a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/haute-loire-43">Haute-Loire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 1 / 6 | 1 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 2 / 6 | 211 / 1747 |
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 3 / 6 | 524 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 4 / 6 | 999 / 1747 |
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 5 / 6 | 1395 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 6 / 6 | 1678 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 1 / 6 | 227 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 2 / 6 | 312 / 1747 |
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 3 / 6 | 597 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 4 / 6 | 690 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 5 / 6 | 693 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 6 / 6 | 1265 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 1 / 6 | 53 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 2 / 6 | 242 / 1747 |
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 3 / 6 | 264 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 4 / 6 | 1128 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 5 / 6 | 1580 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 6 / 6 | 1658 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 1 / 6 | 61 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 2 / 6 | 91 / 1747 |
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 3 / 6 | 250 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 4 / 6 | 261 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 5 / 6 | 717 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 6 / 6 | 801 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 1 / 6 | 409 / 1747 |
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 2 / 6 | 653 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 3 / 6 | 845 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 4 / 6 | 895 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 5 / 6 | 902 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 6 / 6 | 1301 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 1 / 6 | 116 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 2 / 6 | 173 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 3 / 6 | 314 / 1747 |
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 4 / 6 | 381 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 5 / 6 | 383 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 6 / 6 | 765 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 1 / 6 | 66 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 2 / 6 | 955 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 3 / 6 | 1000 / 1747 |
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 4 / 6 | 1069 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 5 / 6 | 1166 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 6 / 6 | 1189 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yssingeaux | Small cities | 7,380 | 1 / 6 | 110 / 1747 |
| Monistrol-sur-Loire | Small cities | 8,874 | 2 / 6 | 192 / 1747 |
| Sainte-Sigolène | Small cities | 6,060 | 3 / 6 | 205 / 1747 |
| Aurec-sur-Loire | Small cities | 6,133 | 4 / 6 | 448 / 1747 |
| Puy-en-Velay | Small cities | 18,989 | 5 / 6 | 1069 / 1747 |
| Brioude | Small cities | 6,523 | 6 / 6 | 1145 / 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.