Largest city in Centre-Val de Loire: the 2026 ranking
The largest cities in Centre-Val de Loire and its 6 departments compared by population, area and density, based on the official INSEE population figures in force in 2026.
The largest city in Centre-Val de Loire is Tours (Indre-et-Loire), with 141,746 inhabitants, ranked 27th in France by population, ahead of Orléans (118,788) and Bourges (66,155).
Centre-Val de Loire has 1,754 communes and 2,644,169 inhabitants over 39,151 km², or 3.8% of the French population, with a density of 68 inhabitants per km² (national average: 110). It was formerly the Centre region. Its most populous department is Loiret (705,712 inhabitants), and its least populous is Indre (221,574).
Departments of Centre-Val de Loire
| Department | Towns | Population | km² | per km² | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loiret (45) | 325 | 705,712 | 6,775 | 104 | Orléans (118,788) |
| Indre-et-Loire (37) | 272 | 631,334 | 6,127 | 103 | Tours (141,746) |
| Eure-et-Loir (28) | 363 | 443,227 | 5,880 | 75 | Chartres (39,318) |
| Loir-et-Cher (41) | 267 | 337,089 | 6,343 | 53 | Blois (48,742) |
| Cher (18) | 286 | 305,233 | 7,235 | 42 | Bourges (66,155) |
| Indre (36) | 241 | 221,574 | 6,791 | 33 | Châteauroux (44,536) |
The 20 largest cities in Centre-Val de Loire by population
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tours | Indre-et-Loire (37) | 141,746 | 35 | 4,088 | 27th |
| 2 | Orléans | Loiret (45) | 118,788 | 27 | 4,323 | 36th |
| 3 | Bourges | Cher (18) | 66,155 | 69 | 962 | 82nd |
| 4 | Blois | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 48,742 | 37 | 1,301 | 140th |
| 5 | Châteauroux | Indre (36) | 44,536 | 26 | 1,744 | 168th |
| 6 | Chartres | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 39,318 | 17 | 2,333 | 203rd |
| 7 | Joué-lès-Tours | Indre-et-Loire (37) | 38,836 | 32 | 1,198 | 207th |
| 8 | Dreux | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 32,045 | 24 | 1,320 | 265th |
| 9 | Vierzon | Cher (18) | 25,527 | 75 | 343 | 365th |
| 10 | Olivet | Loiret (45) | 24,046 | 23 | 1,028 | 383rd |
| 11 | Saint-Jean-de-Braye | Loiret (45) | 23,773 | 14 | 1,735 | 386th |
| 12 | Fleury-les-Aubrais | Loiret (45) | 22,020 | 10 | 2,176 | 429th |
| 13 | Romorantin-Lanthenay | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 18,847 | 45 | 416 | 521st |
| 14 | Saran | Loiret (45) | 17,535 | 20 | 892 | 570th |
| 15 | Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire | Indre-et-Loire (37) | 17,301 | 14 | 1,282 | 578th |
| 16 | Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle | Loiret (45) | 16,992 | 6.1 | 2,786 | 588th |
| 17 | Vendôme | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 16,364 | 24 | 685 | 607th |
| 18 | Lucé | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 16,166 | 6.1 | 2,668 | 615th |
| 19 | Saint-Pierre-des-Corps | Indre-et-Loire (37) | 16,124 | 11 | 1,429 | 618th |
| 20 | Saint-Avertin | Indre-et-Loire (37) | 15,367 | 13 | 1,160 | 652nd |
Largest towns by area in Centre-Val de Loire
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vald'Yerre | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 3,660 | 145 | 25 | 98th |
| 2 | Beauce la Romaine | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 3,400 | 137 | 25 | 116th |
| 3 | Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 5,704 | 119 | 48 | 157th |
| 4 | Brinon-sur-Sauldre | Cher (18) | 987 | 116 | 8 | 173rd |
| 5 | Salbris | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 4,898 | 107 | 46 | 200th |
| 6 | Nançay | Cher (18) | 761 | 106 | 7 | 202nd |
| 7 | Éole-en-Beauce | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 1,263 | 103 | 12 | 217th |
| 8 | Le Controis-en-Sologne | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 7,007 | 100 | 70 | 227th |
| 9 | Souesmes | Loir-et-Cher (41) | 1,011 | 100 | 10 | 232nd |
| 10 | Ivoy-le-Pré | Cher (18) | 796 | 99 | 8 | 235th |
Most densely populated towns in Centre-Val de Loire
| # | Town | Department | Population | km² | per km² | France rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orléans | Loiret (45) | 118,788 | 27 | 4,323 | 178th |
| 2 | Tours | Indre-et-Loire (37) | 141,746 | 35 | 4,088 | 194th |
| 3 | Montargis | Loiret (45) | 15,193 | 4.5 | 3,407 | 244th |
| 4 | Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle | Loiret (45) | 16,992 | 6.1 | 2,786 | 324th |
| 5 | Lucé | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 16,166 | 6.1 | 2,668 | 334th |
| 6 | Chartres | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 39,318 | 17 | 2,333 | 387th |
| 7 | Fleury-les-Aubrais | Loiret (45) | 22,020 | 10 | 2,176 | 416th |
| 8 | Châteauroux | Indre (36) | 44,536 | 26 | 1,744 | 520th |
| 9 | Saint-Jean-de-Braye | Loiret (45) | 23,773 | 14 | 1,735 | 526th |
| 10 | Luisant | Eure-et-Loir (28) | 7,221 | 4.4 | 1,630 | 571st |
Other regions of France
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Brittany 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.