2026 ranking · debt per inhabitant

The most indebted cities in Pays de la Loire

Q: Which city in Pays de la Loire has the most debt per inhabitant?

Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) is the most indebted city in Pays de la Loire, with debt of €2,472 per inhabitant.

Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) is the most indebted city in Pays de la Loire, with debt of €2,472 per inhabitant. Next come La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée, €1,685) and Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique, €1,511).

23 towns ranked out of 1,228

Les Sables-d'Olonne, 1^stThe next 19

The podium

Photos: © Florian Pépellin, CC BY-SA 3.0

This ranking covers 23 of the 1,228 towns in Pays de la Loire. Not ranked: towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. At the other end of the ranking, Carquefou (Loire-Atlantique) comes last with €0.

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: most indebted cities in Pays de la Loire

Rank	Town	Department	Debt per inhabitant (€)	Population
1	Les Sables-d'Olonne	Vendée (85)	2,472	50,924
2	La Roche-sur-Yon	Vendée (85)	1,685	57,683
3	Saint-Nazaire	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,511	76,243
4	Laval	Mayenne (53)	1,282	51,719
5	Nantes	Loire-Atlantique (44)	1,075	332,515
6	Angers	Maine-et-Loire (49)	1,071	162,290
7	Saumur	Maine-et-Loire (49)	1,041	27,096
8	Montaigu-Vendée	Vendée (85)	876	21,789
9	Challans	Vendée (85)	869	23,627
10	Orvault	Loire-Atlantique (44)	759	29,176
11	Cholet	Maine-et-Loire (49)	739	56,363
12	Le Mans	Sarthe (72)	589	148,876
13	Rezé	Loire-Atlantique (44)	521	44,286
14	Vertou	Loire-Atlantique (44)	403	26,684
15	La Chapelle-sur-Erdre	Loire-Atlantique (44)	385	21,281
16	Chemillé-en-Anjou	Maine-et-Loire (49)	361	22,615
17	Couëron	Loire-Atlantique (44)	243	24,367
18	Beaupréau-en-Mauges	Maine-et-Loire (49)	211	24,720
19	Bouguenais	Loire-Atlantique (44)	106	20,862
20	Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire	Loire-Atlantique (44)	88	29,151
21	Saint-Herblain	Loire-Atlantique (44)	81	51,681
22	Sèvremoine	Maine-et-Loire (49)	60	26,473
23	Carquefou	Loire-Atlantique (44)	0	21,509

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

Most indebted cities in Pays de la Loire: FAQ

Which city in Pays de la Loire has the most debt per inhabitant?

Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée) is the most indebted city in Pays de la Loire, with debt of €2,472 per inhabitant.

What are the 10 most indebted cities in Pays de la Loire?

In order: Les Sables-d'Olonne (€2,472), La Roche-sur-Yon (€1,685), Saint-Nazaire (€1,511), Laval (€1,282), Nantes (€1,075), Angers (€1,071), Saumur (€1,041), Montaigu-Vendée (€876), Challans (€869), and Orvault (€759).

Which city in Pays de la Loire has the least debt per inhabitant?

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

How many towns in Pays de la Loire are ranked?

23 out of 1,228. 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.