Living in Laon

In Laon, advertised rents for new lettings average €9.04 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 23.2% (2022).

Gigabit broadband availability was 97.5% in March 2026. At the end of 2022, the unemployment rate was 23.2%. The population of Laon, in France, was 24,220 at the start of 2023.

Last checked 2026-09-2421 sources

Population24,220people1 Jan 2023Official source · INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune

Median gross salary (region)2,579EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · www.insee.fr

Average net rent9.04EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60 — 22% belowOfficial source · static.data.gouv.fr

Unemployment rate23.22%country median 11.0% — 112% aboveOfficial source · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune

Recorded crime8,098incidents per 100,000country median 4,740 — 71% aboveOfficial source · Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)

PM2.5, annual mean10µg/m³country median 8.5 — 18% aboveOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Cheaper rent than 83% of French cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 98% of French cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 94% of French cities that publish it.

Which France-wide rules apply when you move to Laon?

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 FranceNational rates and thresholds that apply in Laon.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Laon?

Average net cold rent is 9.04 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

Average net rent (nettokalt): 9.04 EUR/m²/month · static.data.gouv.fr²⁰

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€43

Mobile plan, 10 GB€20

Net rent across major citiesLaon highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Paris€26.30

Nice€20.43

Lyon€16.57

Marseille€16.30

Toulouse€13.98

Laon€9.04

Show the other 6 cities

Bordeaux€15.99

Lille€15.76

Strasbourg€15.57

Montpellier€15.49

Rennes€14.87

Nantes€14.50

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	42.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Orange Livebox Fibre¹⁷Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	19.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Orange 100GB mobile plan¹⁶Official · national market
Housing vacancy rate (legacy series)	1,515 %	31 Dec 2023	INSEE⁶Official
Dwellings	13,540 dwellings	31 Dec 2023	INSEE⁷Official
Main residence dwellings	11,779 dwellings	31 Dec 2023	INSEE⁷Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	9.04 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60	31 Dec 2025	static.data.gouv.fr²⁰Official

Is Laon 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 worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 40–56%

Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–67%

Student60%strong on education, weak on safety · range 53–67%

Family50%strong on family, weak on cost · range 43–57%

Retirement44%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 35–53%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 542 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 9.04 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2025-Q3

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Laon?

The unemployment rate is about 23.2 % (2022).

Unemployment rate: 23.22 % · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune¹⁰

Unemployment across cities in FranceUnemployment in Laon is 23.2%. Of 2,240 cities with data, 898 have unemployment of 5 to under 10%.

898

832

377

0–55–1010–1515–2020–2525–3030–35

Laon 23.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fibre-to-the-building availability	97.45 %	3 Aug 2026	Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse)¹Official
Gigabit broadband availability	97.45 %	31 Mar 2026	Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage.⁵Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,579 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	www.insee.fr²¹Official
Unemployment rate	23.22 %country median 11.0%	31 Dec 2022	INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune¹⁰Official

What does a salary buy in Laon?

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

Left over each month€1,362of €1,967 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.	€1,967
Rent, 60 m²€9.04/m² · official · static.data.gouv.fr · 2025-12-31	− €542
Internet€43 · official · Orange Livebox Fibre · 2026-09-30	− €43
Mobile plan€20 · official · Orange 100GB mobile plan · 2026-09-30	− €20
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,362

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

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

France Travail — Public employment service

France Travail

Job SearchUnemployment Claim

Open official service

Open the France service overview

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	17 count	3 Aug 2026	Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)¹²Official
Schools	35 count	3 Aug 2026	Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)¹²Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 3 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: UPE2A (unités pédagogiques pour élèves allophones nouvellement arrivés) + UPE2A-NSA variant. How to enrol a child (education.gouv.fr).

A country-wide rule for France; Laon's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	902.8 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2011	DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 2011³Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Laon when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

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

Hospital beds per 100,000 residents902.8 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Laon?

Police recorded about 8,098 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)²

Recorded crime across major citiesLaon highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Lille13,488

Lyon13,026

Bordeaux12,429

Marseille11,857

Paris10,987

Montpellier9,636

Toulouse8,875

Rennes8,241

Laon8,098

Strasbourg7,791

Nantes7,704

Nice7,577

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	8,098 incidents per 100,000country median 4,740	31 Dec 2025	Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)²Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Nearest airport	BYF	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁸Official
Distance to nearest airport	81 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁸Official

Language courses and integration

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

Country-level information

Contrat d’intégration républicaine (CIR) — Integration course

État français and OFII

For eligible non-EU foreign residents.

FrenchIn Person

Open official information

DIAN language-training offer finder — Other

Réseau des Carif-Oref and DIAN

For people seeking French-language training.

FrenchIn Person, Online

Open official information

Open the full France section

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

Find courses near Laon

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Laon?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency⁴

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

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 FranceAnnual PM2.5 in Laon is 10.0 µg/m³. Of 1,975 cities with data, 626 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

159

482

626

447

166

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–1313–14

Laon 10.0

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	10 µg/m³country median 8.5	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency⁴Official
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 13.83 · Feb 16.64 · Mar 21 · Apr 26.21 · May 28.91 · Jun 33.48 · Jul 39.09 · Aug 36.19 · Sep 33.49 · Oct 26.42 · Nov 19.35 · Dec 14.8 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center¹⁴Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -12.1 · Feb -13.24 · Mar -11.27 · Apr -4.69 · May -0.68 · Jun 3.35 · Jul 6.59 · Aug 5.9 · Sep 1.93 · Oct -4.44 · Nov -4.94 · Dec -10.53 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center¹⁴Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 2.26 · Feb 2.88 · Mar 6 · Apr 9.81 · May 13.43 · Jun 16.96 · Jul 18.98 · Aug 18.52 · Sep 15.12 · Oct 11.06 · Nov 6.37 · Dec 2.96 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center¹⁴Official

Annual PM2.5 over time11 published observations, 2014–2024

9.6

11.5

13.5

15.4

10.0201420162018202020222024

Annual PM2.5 fell 33.3% between 2014 and 2024, from 15.0 to 10.0.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Laon?

The published population was 24,220 people in January 2023. Source: INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune⁹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport92%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	42 km²	31 Dec 2026	Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte¹⁹Official
Foreign residents	1,949 people	2021	Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1¹⁵Official
Population density	576.7 people/km²	31 Dec 2023	Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte¹⁹Official
Population	24,220 people	1 Jan 2023	INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune⁹Official

International community in Laon

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

Citizenship

Population resident in France excluding Mayotte; INSEE RP2023 NAT; total age and sex · 2023 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	24,220	100.0%
Français	22,199.206	91.7%
Etranger	2,020.794	8.3%

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

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Universities	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr)¹³Official

Alternatives for people set on Laon

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.

Saint-Quentin as a Laon alternative in the same region

40 km away, better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Residents: 52,813 Saint-Quentin vs 24,220 Laon+118%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,290.5 Saint-Quentin vs 902.8 Laon+43%
Rent: €9.74/m² Saint-Quentin vs €9.04/m² Laon+8%
Nearest airport: 45.0 km Saint-Quentin vs 81.0 km Laon−44%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 8,958 Saint-Quentin vs 8,098 Laon+11%
Unemployment: 21.9% Saint-Quentin vs 23.2% Laon−6%
Median gross pay, region: €2,579 Saint-Quentin vs €2,579 Laonsame level

Full comparison More about Saint-Quentin

Sartrouville as a Laon alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 126 km, better on 4 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 10.5% Sartrouville vs 23.2% Laon−55%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,581 Sartrouville vs 8,098 Laon−43%
Residents: 52,763 Sartrouville vs 24,220 Laon+118%
Median gross pay, region: €3,317 Sartrouville vs €2,579 Laon+29%
Rent: €20.51/m² Sartrouville vs €9.04/m² Laonno percentage
Nearest airport: 18.0 km Sartrouville vs 81.0 km Laon−78%

Full comparison More about Sartrouville

Alternative cities in France

Other cities in France to compare with Laon, nearest in population first.

All France cities

Frontignan24,136 residents Le Kremlin-Bicêtre24,110 residents Couëron24,103 residents Fontenay-aux-Roses24,070 residents Marseille 0224,378 residents Montgeron24,022 residents

How does Laon compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Laon in rankings

#29 of 30 in Cheapest cities to rent in France

Put Laon'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 Laon?

The published population was 24,220 people in January 2023. Source: INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune.

How much does it cost to rent in Laon?

Average net cold rent is 9.04 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 633 EUR a month before utilities. Source: static.data.gouv.fr.

Is the air quality good in Laon?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 10 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.

How safe is Laon?

What is the unemployment rate in Laon?

The unemployment rate is about 23.2 % (2022). Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune.

What is the typical salary around Laon?

The median gross salary is 2,579 EUR/month. Source: www.insee.fr.

Is Laon a good place to live?

Laon 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.

How many people are in the Français citizenship group in Laon?

The official citizenship distribution records 22,199.206 people (91.7%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a citizenship 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). Laon, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 3786baf3992ff64f39bdb7bd7973f9ea]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/laon/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_laon-france-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_9a67a0307a9c,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Laon, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {3786baf3992ff64f39bdb7bd7973f9ea},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/laon/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Laon, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/laon/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 3786baf3992ff64f39bdb7bd7973f9ea; 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

Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse) data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-08-03
Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026) static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-09-23
DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 2011 data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage. data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-03-31
INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
INSEE — Recensement de la population, populations légales millésime 2023 (data.gouv.fr mirror) INSEE · object.files.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-07-03
INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune INSEE RP2022 ACT1 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26

Show 11 more sources

Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France api.insee.fr · checked 2026-08-30
Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr) data.education.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr) data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Nationalité en 2021 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-15
Orange 100GB mobile plan boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
Orange Livebox Fibre boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte Séries historiques en 2023 · insee.fr · checked 2026-09-24
static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
www.insee.fr insee.fr · checked 2026-08-27

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