2026 ranking · debt per inhabitant

The least indebted cities in France

Q: Which city in France has the least debt per inhabitant?

Carquefou (Loire-Atlantique) is the least indebted city in France, with debt of €0 per inhabitant.

Carquefou (Loire-Atlantique) is the least indebted city in France, with debt of €0 per inhabitant. Next come Marcq-en-Barœul (Nord, €0) and Rodez (Aveyron, €1).

496 towns ranked out of 34,875

Carquefou, 1^stThe next 19

The podium

Photos: © Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0 · © kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0

This ranking covers 496 of the 34,875 towns in France. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. At the other end of the ranking, Paris comes last with €5,335.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: least indebted cities in France

Rank	Town	Department	Debt per inhabitant (€)	Population
1	Carquefou	Loire-Atlantique (44)	0	21,509
2	Marcq-en-Barœul	Nord (59)	0	40,930
3	Rodez	Aveyron (12)	1	25,685
4	Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni	French Guiana (973)	1	54,718
5	Mons-en-Barœul	Nord (59)	1	21,244
6	Givors	Rhône (69)	15	21,503
7	Puteaux	Hauts-de-Seine (92)	17	44,242
8	Kourou	French Guiana (973)	24	25,026
9	Saint-Germain-en-Laye	Yvelines (78)	44	47,628
10	Meudon	Hauts-de-Seine (92)	47	46,959
11	Muret	Haute-Garonne (31)	55	26,618
12	Sèvremoine	Maine-et-Loire (49)	60	26,473
13	Maisons-Laffitte	Yvelines (78)	65	23,549
14	Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône	Val-d'Oise (95)	69	25,699
15	Saint-Herblain	Loire-Atlantique (44)	81	51,681
16	Illkirch-Graffenstaden	Bas-Rhin (67)	82	28,336
17	Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire	Loire-Atlantique (44)	88	29,151
18	Charenton-le-Pont	Val-de-Marne (94)	89	29,019
19	Villemomble	Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	95	29,969
20	Gagny	Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	99	42,524
21	Bouguenais	Loire-Atlantique (44)	106	20,862
22	Hyères	Var (83)	110	56,763
23	Sèvres	Hauts-de-Seine (92)	121	22,599
24	Coudekerque-Branche	Nord (59)	123	21,033
25	La Madeleine	Nord (59)	127	22,006
26	Le Grand-Quevilly	Seine-Maritime (76)	141	25,999
27	Sartrouville	Yvelines (78)	154	53,154
28	Vélizy-Villacoublay	Yvelines (78)	162	23,206
29	Fort-de-France	Martinique (972)	169	76,120
30	Gardanne	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	175	21,934
31	Lingolsheim	Bas-Rhin (67)	187	20,987
32	Cagnes-sur-Mer	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	202	53,819
33	Villeparisis	Seine-et-Marne (77)	203	27,070
34	Dembeni	Mayotte (976)	208	20,387
35	Beaupréau-en-Mauges	Maine-et-Loire (49)	211	24,720
36	Dzaoudzi	Mayotte (976)	222	20,336
37	Issy-les-Moulineaux	Hauts-de-Seine (92)	225	68,449
38	Tremblay-en-France	Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	230	38,519
39	Brest	Finistère (29)	234	144,890
40	Oyonnax	Ain (01)	238	22,923
41	Couëron	Loire-Atlantique (44)	243	24,367
42	Croix	Nord (59)	254	20,790
43	Montigny-le-Bretonneux	Yvelines (78)	257	32,969
44	Neuilly-sur-Marne	Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	264	39,891
45	Le Moule	Guadeloupe (971)	266	23,249
46	La Celle-Saint-Cloud	Yvelines (78)	268	20,900
47	Maisons-Alfort	Val-de-Marne (94)	271	57,144
48	Alençon	Orne (61)	279	26,175
49	Mougins	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	279	20,142
50	Les Pavillons-sous-Bois	Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	281	25,875
51	Les Pennes-Mirabeau	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	284	22,791
52	Cayenne	French Guiana (973)	284	62,951
53	Toulon	Var (83)	304	180,774
54	Matoury	French Guiana (973)	304	36,694
55	Le Lamentin	Martinique (972)	308	39,780
56	Houilles	Yvelines (78)	313	34,268
57	La Garde	Var (83)	336	26,772
58	Bourg-lès-Valence	Drôme (26)	346	20,405
59	Villenave-d'Ornon	Gironde (33)	357	42,858
60	Chemillé-en-Anjou	Maine-et-Loire (49)	361	22,615
61	Poissy	Yvelines (78)	363	41,274
62	Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon	Rhône (69)	366	22,045
63	Plaisance-du-Touch	Haute-Garonne (31)	366	21,443
64	Lambersart	Nord (59)	379	27,572
65 tied	Salon-de-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	380	44,736
65 tied	Bruz	Ille-et-Vilaine (35)	380	20,113
67	Guyancourt	Yvelines (78)	381	30,226
68	Les Ulis	Essonne (91)	383	25,986
69	Blagnac	Haute-Garonne (31)	385	28,047
70	La Chapelle-sur-Erdre	Loire-Atlantique (44)	385	21,281
71	Vénissieux	Rhône (69)	394	65,689
72	Fontaine	Isère (38)	395	22,237
73	Vertou	Loire-Atlantique (44)	403	26,684
74	Marignane	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	422	33,957
75	Champs-sur-Marne	Seine-et-Marne (77)	423	27,589
76	Orange	Vaucluse (84)	426	30,314
77	Mont-Saint-Aignan	Seine-Maritime (76)	429	20,598
78	Le Perreux-sur-Marne	Val-de-Marne (94)	435	35,566
79	Neuilly-Plaisance	Seine-Saint-Denis (93)	467	22,063
80	Saint-Michel-sur-Orge	Essonne (91)	467	21,901
81	Bruges	Gironde (33)	468	20,233
82	Élancourt	Yvelines (78)	469	26,611
83	Versailles	Yvelines (78)	483	85,750
84	Colomiers	Haute-Garonne (31)	485	41,337
85	Savigny-sur-Orge	Essonne (91)	492	37,876
86	Saint-Louis	Réunion (974)	497	55,653
87	Morsang-sur-Orge	Essonne (91)	497	21,850
88	Fresnes	Val-de-Marne (94)	515	29,644
89	Ermont	Val-d'Oise (95)	517	29,691
90	Saint-Genis-Laval	Rhône (69)	517	21,661
91	Amiens	Somme (80)	520	139,183
92	Rezé	Loire-Atlantique (44)	521	44,286
93	Meyzieu	Rhône (69)	526	37,006
94	Mantes-la-Ville	Yvelines (78)	530	22,504
95	Pontoise	Val-d'Oise (95)	530	32,475
96	Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt	Yvelines (78)	530	31,339
97	Annecy	Haute-Savoie (74)	536	134,985
98	Bourgoin-Jallieu	Isère (38)	537	30,773
99	Laon	Aisne (02)	541	24,809
100	Saint-Benoît	Réunion (974)	541	38,967

Source: DGFiP (French public finance directorate), individual accounts of communes (main budget); outstanding debt on December 31 of the latest fiscal year published, divided by the DGF population, cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Least indebted cities in France: FAQ

Which city in France has the least debt per inhabitant?

Carquefou (Loire-Atlantique) is the least indebted city in France, with debt of €0 per inhabitant.

What are the 10 least indebted cities in France?

In order: Carquefou (€0), Marcq-en-Barœul (€0), Rodez (€1), Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (€1), Mons-en-Barœul (€1), Givors (€15), Puteaux (€17), Kourou (€24), Saint-Germain-en-Laye (€44), and Meudon (€47).

Which city in France has the most debt per inhabitant?

Paris is the most indebted city in France, with debt of €5,335 per inhabitant. See the most indebted cities in France.

How many towns in France are ranked?

496 out of 34,875. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.

What does debt per inhabitant measure?

It is the outstanding debt of the commune’s main budget on December 31 of the latest fiscal year published by the DGFiP, divided by the population used to calculate the state’s general operating grant (the DGF population). High debt may have paid for recent facilities, so it is best read alongside the town’s capacity to repay it. Debt held by intercommunal bodies and joint syndicates is not counted; for Paris, which is both a commune and a department, it also covers department-level responsibilities. Only cities with 20,000 or more inhabitants are ranked here (towns with 5,000 or more appear in the most and least indebted towns rankings): in smaller communes, a few loans can swing the amount per inhabitant sharply.