Living in Locarno

In Locarno, unemployment is 3.3% (2022).

Locarno is in Switzerland; its population was 16,374 at the end of 2024. At the end of 2024, the foreign population was 5,859.

Last checked 2026-10-1025 sources

Population16,374people31 Dec 2024Official source · Switzerland official denominator source

Median gross salary (region)5,992EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch

Average net rent15.33EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2024Regional figureOfficial source · Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton)

Unemployment rate3.3%country median 2.3% — 43% aboveOfficial source · Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO

Recorded crime6,390incidents per 100,000country median 11,440 — 44% belowOfficial source · Statistica criminale di polizia (SCP) 2025

PM2.5, annual mean10µg/m³country median 8.8 — 14% aboveOfficial source · cdn.who.int

Higher unemployment than 71% of Swiss cities that publish it and dirtier air than 77% of Swiss cities that publish it.

Which Switzerland-wide rules apply when you move to Locarno?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in SwitzerlandNational rates and thresholds that apply in Locarno.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€71

Mobile plan, 10 GB€56

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	70.68 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Swisscom blue Internet S¹³Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	56.03 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Salt Swiss 10GB⁸Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)	15.33 EUR/m²/month	31 Dec 2024	Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton)⁴Official · regional context

Is Locarno a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 52–72%

Skilled employee68%strong on work, weak on education · range 58–78%

Student39%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 28–50%

Family50%strong on family, weak on education · range 40–60%

Retirement48%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 37–59%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Locarno?

The unemployment rate is 3.3 % (2022). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO¹

Unemployment across cities in SwitzerlandUnemployment in Locarno is 3.3%. Of 176 cities with data, 52 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

0–11–22–33–44–55–66–78–99–1011–12

Locarno 3.3%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	5,992 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch¹⁶Official
Unemployment rate	3.3 %country median 2.3%	31 Dec 2022	Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO¹Official

What does a salary buy in Locarno?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€4,049of €5,095 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	€5,095
Rent, 60 m²€15.33/m² · official · Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton) · 2024-12-31	− €920
Internet€71 · official · Swisscom blue Internet S · 2026-09-30	− €71
Mobile plan€56 · official · Salt Swiss 10GB · 2026-09-30	− €56
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€4,049

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Locarno Salary needed to live in Locarno

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Locarno. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

arbeit.swiss — Public employment service

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs / public employment service

Job SearchCareer Counselling

Open the Switzerland service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Locarno. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Locarno?

Police recorded about 6,390 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Statistica criminale di polizia (SCP) 2025¹⁰

Recorded crime across major citiesLocarno highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Solothurn25,779

Bern20,196

Interlaken18,896

Olten15,369

Kloten13,097

St. Gallen9,783

Winterthur7,988

Muri bei Bern5,389

Wetzikon (ZH)4,048

Küsnacht (ZH)3,718

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	6,390 incidents per 100,000country median 11,440	31 Dec 2025	Statistica criminale di polizia (SCP) 2025¹⁰Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁵Official
Nearest airport	LUG	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official
Distance to nearest airport	20 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁶Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Locarno. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Cantonal integration programmes — Newcomer Adaptation

SEM and cantons

For migrants, refugees.

German, French, ItalianIn Person

Open official information

fide language promotion system — State Language Course

State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)

For adult migrants.

German, French, ItalianIn Person, Online

Open official information

Open the full Switzerland section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Locarno.

Find courses near Locarno

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Locarno?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2021) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int²

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

7°1°

9°2°

14°5°

18°9°

21°12°

25°16°

27°18°

22°14°

17°10°

11°5°

8°2°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

166

190

187

163

212

203

210

208

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

134

153

202

195

210

238

268

249

198

152

113

119

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.510WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in SwitzerlandAnnual PM2.5 in Locarno is 10.0 µg/m³. Of 43 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

2–36–77–88–99–1010–1116–1717–18

Locarno 10.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	10 µg/m³country median 8.8	31 Dec 2021	cdn.who.int²Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 7.3 · Feb 9.4 · Mar 14 · Apr 17.5 · May 21.1 · Jun 25.1 · Jul 27.5 · Aug 26.9 · Sep 22.1 · Oct 16.7 · Nov 11.2 · Dec 7.6 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.2 · Feb 2 · Mar 5.4 · Apr 8.5 · May 12.2 · Jun 15.9 · Jul 17.8 · Aug 17.5 · Sep 14 · Oct 9.9 · Nov 5.4 · Dec 2 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 3.9 · Feb 5.2 · Mar 9.3 · Apr 12.6 · May 16.4 · Jun 20.2 · Jul 22.3 · Aug 21.8 · Sep 17.6 · Oct 12.9 · Nov 7.9 · Dec 4.4 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 69.6 · Feb 64.5 · Mar 94.9 · Apr 166.3 · May 189.6 · Jun 186.8 · Jul 162.9 · Aug 211.6 · Sep 203.1 · Oct 209.5 · Nov 207.7 · Dec 88.6 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 133.6 · Feb 153 · Mar 201.7 · Apr 194.5 · May 209.9 · Jun 237.7 · Jul 267.7 · Aug 248.8 · Sep 198.1 · Oct 151.7 · Nov 112.5 · Dec 118.6 hours	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁵Official

Similar climate. In Switzerland: Lausanne ±1.9 °C. Elsewhere: Reims (France) ±2.3 °C, Werl (Germany) ±2.8 °C, Saanich (Canada) ±2.8 °C, Bremerhaven (Germany) ±3.1 °C, Murfreesboro (United States) ±3.1 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Locarno?

The published population was 16,374 people in 2024. Source: Switzerland official denominator source¹⁴

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport64.2%
Foreign residents35.8%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Cars per 1,000 residents	455.1 cars/1000 residents	31 Dec 2024	Swiss Federal Statistical Office/OFS/BFS¹²Official
City area	18.97 km²	2015	Exact BFS Arealstatistik municipality area: sum of exhaustive NOAS top-level categories 1-4, PERIOD=A4 (2013-2018), FJ=2015, municipality REGION state 2025-01-01; hectares converted to km².³Official
Foreign non-permanent residents	164 people	31 Dec 2024	Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024⁷Official
Foreign residents	5,859 people	31 Dec 2024	Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024.⁹Official
Non-permanent residents	164 people	31 Dec 2024	Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024⁷Official
Population density	863.2 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	Reproducible density from BFS STATPOP permanent population at 31.12.2024 divided by the exact official BFS municipality area denominator (2013-2018; FJ=2015; area observed_at=2015).³Official
Population	16,374 people	31 Dec 2024	Switzerland official denominator source¹⁴Official
Swiss non-permanent residents	0 people	31 Dec 2024	Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024⁷Official
Swiss permanent residents	10,515 people	31 Dec 2024	Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024⁷Official

International community in Locarno

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published group	People	Share
Place of birth - total	16,463	100.0%
In Switzerland	9,053	55.0%
Abroad	7,410	45.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Country of birth

Non-permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published group	People	Share
Place of birth - total	205	100.0%
Abroad	198	96.6%
In Switzerland	7	3.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Citizenship

Non-permanent resident population, total sex, all ages · 2025-12-31

Published group	People	Share
Citizenship - total	205	100.0%
Italy	75	36.6%
Afghanistan	15	7.3%
Somalia	13	6.3%
Ukraine	12	5.9%
Romania	9	4.4%
Türkiye	9	4.4%
Russia	7	3.4%
Morocco	6	2.9%
Eritrea	6	2.9%

Show 30 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Spain	5	2.4%
Portugal	4	2.0%
North Macedonia	4	2.0%
Bulgaria	3	1.5%
Algeria	3	1.5%
Iran	3	1.5%
Germany	2	1.0%
Ethiopia	2	1.0%
Congo (Kinshasa)	2	1.0%
Libya	2	1.0%
Brazil	2	1.0%
India	2	1.0%
Iraq	2	1.0%
France	1	0.5%
Greece	1	0.5%
Netherlands	1	0.5%
Austria	1	0.5%
Poland	1	0.5%
Sweden	1	0.5%
Slovenia	1	0.5%
Gambia	1	0.5%
Guinea	1	0.5%
Cameroon	1	0.5%
Nigeria	1	0.5%
Sudan	1	0.5%
Chile	1	0.5%
Colombia	1	0.5%
United States	1	0.5%
Sri Lanka	1	0.5%
Georgia	1	0.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source¹¹

Alternatives for people set on Locarno

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Minusio as a Locarno alternative in the same region

2 km away, better on 1 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,791 Minusio vs 6,390 Locarno−56%
Residents: 7,321 Minusio vs 16,374 Locarno−55%
Nearest airport: 21.0 km Minusio vs 20.0 km Locarno+5%
Rent: €15.33/m² Minusio vs €15.33/m² Locarnosame level
Median gross pay, region: €5,992 Minusio vs €5,992 Locarnosame level

Full comparison More about Minusio

Luzern as a Locarno alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 105 km, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 86,234 Luzern vs 16,374 Locarno+427%
Unemployment: 1.7% Luzern vs 3.3% Locarno−48%
Rent: €17.56/m² (2021) Luzern vs €15.33/m² (2024) Locarnono percentage
Median gross pay, region: €7,445 Luzern vs €5,992 Locarno+24%
Nearest airport: 5.0 km Luzern vs 20.0 km Locarno−75%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 12,894 Luzern vs 6,390 Locarnono percentage
Annual PM2.5: 9.8 µg/m³ Luzern vs 10.0 µg/m³ Locarnosame level

Full comparison More about Luzern

Cities near Locarno

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Alternative cities in Switzerland

Other cities in Switzerland to compare with Locarno, nearest in population first.

All Switzerland cities

Arbon16,354 residents Schwyz16,446 residents Einsiedeln16,532 residents Lyss16,558 residents Pratteln16,576 residents Steffisburg16,581 residents

How does Locarno compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Locarno's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Locarno under the national coverage rules.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 4 to 15, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Einführungsklassen / integrative DaZ-Sprachförderung (per canton). How to enrol a child (edk.ch).

A country-wide rule for Switzerland; Locarno's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Put Locarno's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Locarno?

The published population was 16,374 people in 2024. Source: Switzerland official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Locarno?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2021) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.

How safe is Locarno?

What is the unemployment rate in Locarno?

The unemployment rate is 3.3 % (2022). Source: Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO.

What is the typical salary around Locarno?

The median gross salary is 5,992 EUR/month. Source: www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch.

Is Locarno a good place to live?

Locarno may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Locarno?

Minusio, Ascona, Gambarogno, Losone, Cannobio are near Locarno. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Place of birth - total live in Locarno?

The official country of birth distribution records 16,463 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2025-12-31. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Locarno, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 530b144316389dae19f2b07772c77093]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/5113-locarno/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_locarno-switzerland-population-rent-salary-jobs-safety_47a737f92c6d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Locarno, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {530b144316389dae19f2b07772c77093},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/5113-locarno/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Locarno, Switzerland: population, rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/ch/5113-locarno/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 530b144316389dae19f2b07772c77093; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS/FSO), source data SECO dam-api.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-04
cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
Exact BFS Arealstatistik municipality area: sum of exhaustive NOAS top-level categories 1-4, PERIOD=A4 (2013-2018), FJ=2015, municipality REGION state 2025-01-01; hectares converted to km². disseminate.stats.swiss · checked 2026-07-15
Loyer moyen par m2 en francs selon le nombre de pièces, par canton (mean rent per m2 in CHF by number of rooms and canton) dam-api.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-09-24
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Permanent and non permanent resident population by municipality, resident type and citizenship, 2024 pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-18
Salt Swiss 10GB salt.ch · checked 2026-09-15
Ständige Wohnbevölkerung, Staatsangehörigkeit = Ausland, Gemeinde grain, 31.12.2024. pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2024-12-31
Statistica criminale di polizia (SCP) 2025 www4.ti.ch · checked 2026-10-08

Show 15 more sources

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-30
Swiss Federal Statistical Office/OFS/BFS pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-08
Swisscom blue Internet S swisscom.ch · checked 2026-09-15
Switzerland official denominator source pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-07-14
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-02
www.pxweb.bfs.admin.ch pxweb.bfs.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-27
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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