Nièvre.
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 — Nièvre (58)”, https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/nievre-58 (accessed 29 September 2026). <a href="https://lagrandecarte.fr/en/presse/nievre-58">Nièvre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 1 / 3 | 830 / 1747 |
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 2 / 3 | 1061 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 399 / 470 |
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 3 / 3 | 1617 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 1 / 3 | 151 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 76 / 470 |
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 2 / 3 | 302 / 1747 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 3 / 3 | 723 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 1 / 3 | 113 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 42 / 470 |
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 2 / 3 | 466 / 1747 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 3 / 3 | 479 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 1 / 3 | 321 / 1747 |
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 2 / 3 | 543 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 183 / 470 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 3 / 3 | 771 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 338 / 470 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 1 / 3 | 1674 / 1747 |
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 2 / 3 | 1699 / 1747 |
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 3 / 3 | 1707 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 1 / 3 | 760 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 211 / 470 |
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 2 / 3 | 964 / 1747 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 3 / 3 | 1240 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 1 / 3 | 728 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 214 / 470 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 2 / 3 | 862 / 1747 |
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 3 / 3 | 1384 / 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decize | Small cities | 5,025 | 1 / 3 | 148 / 1747 |
| Nevers | Mid-size cities | 33,172 | 1 / 1 | 154 / 470 |
| Varennes-Vauzelles | Small cities | 9,166 | 2 / 3 | 805 / 1747 |
| Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire | Small cities | 9,786 | 3 / 3 | 909 / 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.