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Largest city in the Loire department: the 2026 ranking

The 320 towns of the Loire department (42) ranked by population, area and density, based on the official INSEE population figures in force in 2026.

The largest city in the Loire department is Saint-Étienne, with 174,698 inhabitants (ranked 14th in France by population). It is also the largest town by area in the department (80 km²). The most densely populated is Roanne, with 2,237 inhabitants per km². At the other end of the ranking, La Chambonie has only 40 inhabitants.

The Loire department has 788,024 inhabitants over 4,781 km², a density of 165 inhabitants per km², 1.5 times the national average (110 per km²). It accounts for 9.4% of the population of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the region it has belonged to since the 2016 reform (formerly Rhône-Alpes): see the ranking of the largest cities in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The 20 largest cities in the Loire department by population

# Town Population km² per km² France rank
1 Saint-Étienne 174,698 80 2,185 14th
2 Roanne 36,067 16 2,237 235th
3 Saint-Chamond 36,065 55 657 236th
4 Firminy 17,241 10 1,650 580th
5 Montbrison 16,656 16 1,020 598th
6 Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert 16,030 41 395 621st
7 Rive-de-Gier 15,379 7.3 2,098 651st
8 Le Chambon-Feugerolles 12,399 18 708 818th
9 Riorges 11,332 16 731 904th
10 Andrézieux-Bouthéon 10,596 16 651 989th
11 Roche-la-Molière 9,940 17 570 1,065th
12 Veauche 9,098 10 874 1,174th
13 Unieux 8,638 8.6 1,007 1,253rd
14 Feurs 8,505 24 349 1,275th
15 Sorbiers 8,262 12 678 1,319th
16 La Ricamarie 8,085 7.0 1,163 1,348th
17 Villars 7,780 5.7 1,360 1,414th
18 Mably 7,361 33 224 1,500th
19 La Talaudière 7,207 7.6 945 1,530th
20 Le Coteau 6,965 4.9 1,424 1,589th

Largest towns by area in the Loire department

# Town Population km² per km² France rank
1 Saint-Étienne 174,698 80 2,185 413th
2 Saint-Chamond 36,065 55 657 933rd
3 Chalmazel-Jeansagnière 464 53 9 1,005th
4 Saint-Bonnet-le-Courreau 693 50 14 1,166th
5 Usson-en-Forez 1,478 47 31 1,355th
6 Saint-Genest-Malifaux 3,064 47 65 1,370th
7 Perreux 2,266 41 55 1,905th
8 Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert 16,030 41 395 2,003rd
9 Noirétable 1,681 40 42 2,038th
10 Vézelin-sur-Loire 829 39 21 2,159th

Most densely populated towns in the Loire department

# Town Population km² per km² France rank
1 Roanne 36,067 16 2,237 406th
2 Saint-Étienne 174,698 80 2,185 414th
3 Saint-Priest-en-Jarez 6,576 3.1 2,142 420th
4 Rive-de-Gier 15,379 7.3 2,098 428th
5 Firminy 17,241 10 1,650 565th
6 Lorette 5,024 3.4 1,473 632nd
7 Le Coteau 6,965 4.9 1,424 657th
8 Villars 7,780 5.7 1,360 687th
9 La Grand-Croix 4,984 4.1 1,231 776th
10 La Ricamarie 8,085 7.0 1,163 828th

All towns in the Loire department (320)

INSEE total population in parentheses. Each town page gives its area, density, national and departmental rankings, and neighboring towns.

Other departments in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Ain (01) Allier (03) Ardèche (07) Cantal (15) Drôme (26) Isère (38) Haute-Loire (43) Puy-de-Dôme (63) Rhône (69) Savoie (73) Haute-Savoie (74) All departments

Sources: INSEE, official population figures in force on January 1, 2026 (total population); land area: IGN / Observatoire des territoires. Rankings computed across the 34,858 communes in the database.

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