Hautes-Alpes.
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 — Hautes-Alpes (05)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/hautes-alpes-05 (accessed 28 September 2026). <a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/hautes-alpes-05">Hautes-Alpes 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 94 / 470 |
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 1 / 2 | 748 / 1747 |
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 2 / 2 | 1131 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 1 / 2 | 800 / 1747 |
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 2 / 2 | 1256 / 1747 |
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 399 / 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.
Best cities for health.
Top-ranked in the department
| Town | Size tier | Population | Rank in its tier · Department | Rank in its tier · France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 1 / 2 | 51 / 1747 |
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 2 / 2 | 311 / 1747 |
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 175 / 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 7 / 470 |
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 1 / 2 | 106 / 1747 |
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 2 / 2 | 329 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 1 / 2 | 591 / 1747 |
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 287 / 470 |
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 2 / 2 | 1088 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 13 / 470 |
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 1 / 2 | 59 / 1747 |
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 2 / 2 | 244 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 73 / 470 |
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 1 / 2 | 331 / 1747 |
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 2 / 2 | 1002 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embrun | Small cities | 6,387 | 1 / 2 | 35 / 1747 |
| Gap | Mid-size cities | 40,656 | 1 / 1 | 31 / 470 |
| Briançon | Small cities | 10,748 | 2 / 2 | 120 / 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.