Largest city in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: the 2026 ranking
The largest cities in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and its 12 departments compared by population, area and density, based on the official INSEE population figures in force in 2026.
The largest city in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is Lyon (Rhône), with 525,314 inhabitants, ranked 3rd in France by population, ahead of Saint-Étienne (174,698) and Villeurbanne (164,747).
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has 4,025 communes and 8,373,427 inhabitants over 69,706 km², or 12.1% of the French population, with a density of 120 inhabitants per km² (national average: 110). The region was created in 2016 by merging the former regions of Rhône-Alpes and Auvergne. Its most populous department is Rhône (1,940,015 inhabitants), and its least populous is Cantal (148,813).
Departments of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
| Department | Towns | Population | km² | per km² | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhône (69) | 266 | 1,940,015 | 3,249 | 597 | Lyon (525,314) |
| Isère (38) | 512 | 1,324,225 | 7,431 | 178 | Grenoble (158,303) |
| Haute-Savoie (74) | 279 | 881,729 | 4,388 | 201 | Annecy (134,985) |
| Loire (42) | 320 | 788,024 | 4,781 | 165 | Saint-Étienne (174,698) |
| Ain (01) | 391 | 694,945 | 5,762 | 121 | Bourg-en-Bresse (43,961) |
| Puy-de-Dôme (63) | 463 | 678,624 | 7,970 | 85 | Clermont-Ferrand (148,795) |
| Drôme (26) | 362 | 536,948 | 6,525 | 82 | Valence (65,647) |
| Savoie (73) | 273 | 460,217 | 6,028 | 76 | Chambéry (61,493) |
| Ardèche (07) | 335 | 342,599 | 5,529 | 62 | Annonay (17,836) |
| Allier (03) | 317 | 341,713 | 7,340 | 47 | Montluçon (34,107) |
| Haute-Loire (43) | 257 | 235,575 | 4,977 | 47 | Le Puy-en-Velay (19,376) |
| Cantal (15) | 250 | 148,813 | 5,726 | 26 | Aurillac (27,578) |
The 20 largest cities in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes by population
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyon | Rhône (69) | 525,314 | 48 | 10,974 | 3rd |
| 2 | Saint-Étienne | Loire (42) | 174,698 | 80 | 2,185 | 14th |
| 3 | Villeurbanne | Rhône (69) | 164,747 | 15 | 11,346 | 17th |
| 4 | Grenoble | Isère (38) | 158,303 | 18 | 8,732 | 19th |
| 5 | Clermont-Ferrand | Puy-de-Dôme (63) | 148,795 | 43 | 3,487 | 25th |
| 6 | Annecy | Haute-Savoie (74) | 134,985 | 67 | 2,017 | 29th |
| 7 | Vénissieux | Rhône (69) | 65,689 | 15 | 4,285 | 83rd |
| 8 | Valence | Drôme (26) | 65,647 | 37 | 1,789 | 84th |
| 9 | Chambéry | Savoie (73) | 61,493 | 21 | 2,930 | 96th |
| 10 | Vaulx-en-Velin | Rhône (69) | 53,281 | 21 | 2,543 | 122nd |
| 11 | Saint-Priest | Rhône (69) | 49,498 | 30 | 1,666 | 137th |
| 12 | Caluire-et-Cuire | Rhône (69) | 44,139 | 10 | 4,224 | 172nd |
| 13 | Bourg-en-Bresse | Ain (01) | 43,961 | 24 | 1,842 | 174th |
| 14 | Bron | Rhône (69) | 43,369 | 10 | 4,211 | 181st |
| 15 | Montélimar | Drôme (26) | 41,752 | 47 | 892 | 189th |
| 16 | Thonon-les-Bains | Haute-Savoie (74) | 38,946 | 16 | 2,403 | 205th |
| 17 | Oullins-Pierre-Bénite | Rhône (69) | 38,495 | 8.9 | 4,335 | 209th |
| 18 | Annemasse | Haute-Savoie (74) | 37,978 | 5.0 | 7,626 | 210th |
| 19 | Saint-Martin-d'Hères | Isère (38) | 37,921 | 9.3 | 4,095 | 211th |
| 20 | Échirolles | Isère (38) | 37,710 | 7.9 | 4,798 | 215th |
Largest towns by area in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Val-Cenis | Savoie (73) | 2,148 | 408 | 5 | 19th |
| 2 | Les Belleville | Savoie (73) | 3,576 | 227 | 16 | 33rd |
| 3 | Bourg-Saint-Maurice | Savoie (73) | 7,530 | 179 | 42 | 55th |
| 4 | Beaufort | Savoie (73) | 2,078 | 150 | 14 | 91st |
| 5 | Valloire | Savoie (73) | 1,090 | 137 | 8 | 112th |
| 6 | La Léchère | Savoie (73) | 2,585 | 135 | 19 | 121st |
| 7 | Bessans | Savoie (73) | 349 | 128 | 3 | 134th |
| 8 | Neuvéglise-sur-Truyère | Cantal (15) | 1,716 | 125 | 14 | 144th |
| 9 | Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans | Isère (38) | 99 | 123 | 1 | 147th |
| 10 | Haut Valromey | Ain (01) | 821 | 122 | 7 | 149th |
Most densely populated towns in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Villeurbanne | Rhône (69) | 164,747 | 15 | 11,346 | 35th |
| 2 | Lyon | Rhône (69) | 525,314 | 48 | 10,974 | 37th |
| 3 | Grenoble | Isère (38) | 158,303 | 18 | 8,732 | 56th |
| 4 | Annemasse | Haute-Savoie (74) | 37,978 | 5.0 | 7,626 | 75th |
| 5 | Ambilly | Haute-Savoie (74) | 6,419 | 1.3 | 5,135 | 135th |
| 6 | Échirolles | Isère (38) | 37,710 | 7.9 | 4,798 | 150th |
| 7 | Chamalières | Puy-de-Dôme (63) | 18,059 | 3.8 | 4,790 | 152nd |
| 8 | Vichy | Allier (03) | 25,445 | 5.9 | 4,350 | 174th |
| 9 | Oullins-Pierre-Bénite | Rhône (69) | 38,495 | 8.9 | 4,335 | 177th |
| 10 | Vénissieux | Rhône (69) | 65,689 | 15 | 4,285 | 181st |
Other regions of France
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Brittany Centre-Val de Loire Corsica Grand Est Guadeloupe French Guiana Hauts-de-France Île-de-France Réunion Martinique Normandy Nouvelle-Aquitaine Occitanie Pays de la Loire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
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.