Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
INSEE Regional Action Department / Urban Analysis and Statistics Unit
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
88, avenue Verdier
CS 70058
92541 Montrouge cedex
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
2 October 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
2 October 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
2 October 2025
3.1. Data description
The Urban Audit project's ultimate goal is to contribute towards the improvement of the quality of urban life: it supports the exchange of experience among European cities; it helps to identify best practices; it facilitates benchmarking at the European level and provides information on the dynamics within the cities and with their surroundings.
There are 140 variables required in the 2024 Urban Audit.
3.2. Classification system
Specific classification and coding systems have been developed for the spatial units and for the variables.
The variable code consists of a 2-digit domain code, a 4-digit number and a V (for variable).
The city code consists of a 2-digit country code, a 3-digit city code and a final C for city or F for Functional Urban Area (FUA).
3.3. Coverage - sector
The indicators and variables cover several domains including Demography (DE), Social Aspects (SA), Economic Aspects (EC) Training and Education (TE), Environment (EN), Travel and Transport (TT) and Culture and Recreation (CR).
All definitions and concepts can be found in the Methodological Manual on City Statistics or in the Annexes. Some of the most important ones and those deviating from the manual are listed below.
Demography and nationality (DE1 and DE2)
The population on 1st January is all residents of the territory on this date. The population consists of:
the population of main residences (accommodation usually occupied as the main home)
the population of people living in communities
homeless people or those living in mobile dwellings
According to the official definition, a resident is a person who has lived in a locality for more than one year or who arrived during the 12 months before the reference date, with the intention of staying there for at least one year (Regulation EC No. 763/2008). The French definition does not take into account this notion of a minimum presence of one year.
Household structure and housing (DE3 and SA1)
The definition used for a household is that of the “household dwelling concept” according to which everyone living in a dwelling belongs to the same household. A household can be constituted by a single person. By definition, the number of households and the number of main residences are equal.
Persons living in mobile dwellings, mariners, the homeless and persons living in collective dwellings are considered as living outside a household.
A household is considered complex if it is a household that is not:
a person alone in the dwelling
a one parent family, meaning a household composed of on adult and one or more children
a couple without children
a couple with at least one child
A conventional dwelling is defined from the point of view of its use. It is a unit used for permanent human habitation and is not used wholly for not -residential purposes.
It is:
separate, which is to say completely enclosed by walls and partitions, without communicating with another unit unless this is by means of the shared parts of the building (corridor, staircase, lobby, etc.)
self-contained, which is to say with an entrance from which there is direct access to the outside or to the shared parts of the building, without having to go through another unit
Dwellings are divided into four categories: main residences, second homes, occasional dwellings and vacant dwellings.
Labour market and economic activity (EC1 and EC2)
At national, regional and departmental levels, results are provided on unemployment in the sense of the ILO.
At municipality level, the labour force survey sample does not provide statistics. Thus, the population census is used. For the purposes of the census, an unemployed person is anyone aged 15 or over:
who declared themselves to be unemployed, unless they have also explicitly declared that they were not looking for work
who has not declared themselves in unemployment, but who nevertheless declared that they were seeking employment
This definition is wider than the ILO definition.
Income disparities and poverty (EC3)
Equivalent disposable income is the total disposable income of a household divided by its equivalent size: the first adult represents one consumption unit, other persons aged 14 or older each represent 0.5 and the children under 14 years each represent 0.3 (OECD scale).
The number of persons living in households with very low work intensity is estimated from population census data. There are two limitations to this estimate:
Working time is not precise. In the population census, a person may be unemployed, working full-time or working part-time.
Working time is measured for only a limited period and does not cover the entire year.
Education (TE1 and TE2)
The classification system used for education is the ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education).
ISCED Levels
ISCED levels are based on ISCED 2011 classification:
ISCED 0 – Early childhood education
ISCED 1 – Primary education
ISCED 2 – Lower secondary education
ISCED 3 – Upper secondary education
ISCED 4 – Post-secondary non-tertiary education
ISCED 5 – Short cycle tertiary education, e.g. Higher National Diploma
ISCED 6 – Bachelor's or equivalent level: tertiary education
ISCED 7 – Master's or equivalent level: tertiary education
ISCED 8 – Doctoral or equivalent level, e.g. PhD: tertiary education
Waste management (EN4)
The OECD/Eurostat definition of municipal waste includes the following objects:
old furniture and household appliances discarded by their owners
waste from gardens, parks and public spaces
waste originating from households, schools, businesses and hospitals
waste from street cleaning services.
This definition excludes:
waste from sewage network and treatment
municipal construction and demolition waste.
Culture and Recreation (CR1)
From 2021 onwards, the number of theatres also includes street arts and circus structures, as well as music and dance theatres.
Tourism (CR2)
A tourist accommodation establishment is any local unit providing accommodation as a paid service.
A tourist is a person who takes a trip to a main destination outside his usual environment for less than a year, for any main purpose other than to be employed. He must spend at least one night in a collective or private establishment in the place visited.
3.5. Statistical unit
In the Urban Audit, data is collected for cities and FUAs.
Statistical units are mostly persons. Few variables are collected on households, enterprises, dwellings, cities, etc. For the complete description of variables see the Methodological Manual on City Statistics.
3.6. Statistical population
For most variables the target population are the residents living within an Urban Audit city or FUA.
3.7. Reference area
FRANCE (FR).
3.8. Coverage - Time
The time coverage is 2006-2024 but according to the indicators, there is a break in the statistical series identified by the letter b, due to the overhaul of all the spatial collection units.
It is worth mentionning that most data come from the French population census. The population census of year N is only available in N+3. The most recent data from the population census are currently from 2022.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The unit of measurement varies from variable to variable.
All data supply of urban statistics is based on a voluntary agreement, as there is no Community legislation yet on this topic.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
French law and practice fall within the common European framework defined in the “European Statistics Code of Practice”.
Everyone with access to the collected data is bound by statistical confidentiality (Law no. 51-711 of 7 June 1951; Article L226-13 of the French Penal Code). Statistical confidentiality is defined in Law no. 51-711 of 7 June 1951 relating to statistical obligation, coordination and confidentiality.
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
The database is updated depending on the data availability of new and revised data.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applicable.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not applicable.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The definitions of the Methodological Manual on City Statistics have been followed. Further information on methodology used for the different variables is being provided in various sections of this report.
The National Institute for Statistics and Economic studies (INSEE) and the Ministerial Statistic Offices (MSO) that form the official statistical system are committed to a quality policy aligned to the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP).
Existing practices are defined in accordance with the principles and indicators of the European Statistics Code of Practice, applied to national statistics.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Data are assessed and validated by departments at INSEE before dissemination.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The Urban Audit project is to be viewed in the context of the Regional Policy of the European Union. The main priority of this policy is to improve social and economic cohesion in the European Union by seeking to reduce disparities between European regions. Cities play a specific and prominent part in this respect. Cities are namely important sources of economic growth, whilst on the other hand they are faced with large social imbalances.
The direct purpose of the Urban Audit is to collect comparable statistics at the European level on a large number of variables for a range of topics at four spatial levels: the administrative city, the greater city and the functional urban area (FUA).
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Comments and contributions are welcome to be sent to the contact.
12.3. Completeness
135 variables have been collected for the 2023 Urban Audit.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
According to international standards, a census is considered to be of very good quality when it has an accuracy of around 1% for the entire population of a country. In France, the census method is such that it does ensure this level of quality. Overall accuracy of variables derived from the census is therefore considered to be high. For other variables, the user can refer to the more detailed document in the annexes.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
The INSEE is fully committed to respect the timetables presented in the Grant Agreement.
For census data, there is a 3-years time gap between the vintage and the dissemination. For instance, the data published in 2025 is from 2022.
14.2. Punctuality
Data is provided on time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The definitions of City and Functional Urban Area, used for statistical level reporting, were followed strictly according to the provided manual. However, due to some deviating definitions and different data sources used, the comparability of data is limited to some extent.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Where there is a break in the time series due to methodology or boundary changes a flag of 'B' will be added to the data file.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data collected at sub-national level is mostly coherent with the data collected at national level, with a few exceptions due to the different data sources used.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Internal coherence (e.g. between spatial levels, between indicators like total, female, male population) is ensured through the application of multi-variable and uni-variable validation controls.
Where possible data have been downloaded from the INSEE and other government department websites in order to reduce the burden of requesting bespoke datasets. Where this could not be achieved care was taken to ensure both value for money and any potential burden on data suppliers was taken into consideration.
17.1. Data revision - policy
No preliminary data is published.
17.2. Data revision - practice
As the Urban data cover is very extensive, it can not be excluded that errors exist in the data. Detected errors are corrected continually.
18.1. Source data
Demography, nationality and household structure (DE1, DE2, DE3 and DE4)
Data from the population census by INSEE is used.
Housing (SA1)
Data from the population census by INSEE is used.
Concerning real estate prices, taxation data on real estate sales processed by the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Urban Planning (Cerema) is used.
Health (SA2)
Data from the French public registry and the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is used.
Crime (SA3)
Data was obtained from the Ministry of Internal Security.
Labour market and economic activity (EC1 and EC2)
Data from the population census by INSEE and the Corporate Directory Identification System (SIRENE) is used.
Income Disparities and Poverty (EC3)
Data from the population census by INSEE and Localised Tax Revenue (RFL) is used.
Education and Training (TE1 and TE2)
Data from the population census by INSEE and the Ministry of Education is used.
Waste management (EN4)
Data from the agency for Environment and Energy Control (ADEME) is used.
Travel and Transports (TT)
Data from the population census by INSEE, the Agency for Data and Statistical Studies(SDES) is used.
Culture and recreation (CR1)
Data from the National Center of Cinematography and the moving image (CNC), the Ministry of Culture (DEPS) and the Permanent Facilities Database (BPE) by INSEE is used.
Tourism (CR2)
Data from the hotel occupancy survey by INSEE.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
The Urban Audit is a multi-annual data collection.
18.3. Data collection
More detailed information concerning data collection can be found in the Annexes.
Detailed reference year :
2022
DE1, DE2, DE3, DE4, EC1, EC2, SA1001V to SA1025V, TE2025V and TE2031V, TT1057V
2023
CR1 except CR1008V and CR1015V, EN, SA1050V to SA1053V, TE2026V to TE2028V, TT1060V
The Urban Audit project's ultimate goal is to contribute towards the improvement of the quality of urban life: it supports the exchange of experience among European cities; it helps to identify best practices; it facilitates benchmarking at the European level and provides information on the dynamics within the cities and with their surroundings.
There are 140 variables required in the 2024 Urban Audit.
2 October 2025
All definitions and concepts can be found in the Methodological Manual on City Statistics or in the Annexes. Some of the most important ones and those deviating from the manual are listed below.
Demography and nationality (DE1 and DE2)
The population on 1st January is all residents of the territory on this date. The population consists of:
the population of main residences (accommodation usually occupied as the main home)
the population of people living in communities
homeless people or those living in mobile dwellings
According to the official definition, a resident is a person who has lived in a locality for more than one year or who arrived during the 12 months before the reference date, with the intention of staying there for at least one year (Regulation EC No. 763/2008). The French definition does not take into account this notion of a minimum presence of one year.
Household structure and housing (DE3 and SA1)
The definition used for a household is that of the “household dwelling concept” according to which everyone living in a dwelling belongs to the same household. A household can be constituted by a single person. By definition, the number of households and the number of main residences are equal.
Persons living in mobile dwellings, mariners, the homeless and persons living in collective dwellings are considered as living outside a household.
A household is considered complex if it is a household that is not:
a person alone in the dwelling
a one parent family, meaning a household composed of on adult and one or more children
a couple without children
a couple with at least one child
A conventional dwelling is defined from the point of view of its use. It is a unit used for permanent human habitation and is not used wholly for not -residential purposes.
It is:
separate, which is to say completely enclosed by walls and partitions, without communicating with another unit unless this is by means of the shared parts of the building (corridor, staircase, lobby, etc.)
self-contained, which is to say with an entrance from which there is direct access to the outside or to the shared parts of the building, without having to go through another unit
Dwellings are divided into four categories: main residences, second homes, occasional dwellings and vacant dwellings.
Labour market and economic activity (EC1 and EC2)
At national, regional and departmental levels, results are provided on unemployment in the sense of the ILO.
At municipality level, the labour force survey sample does not provide statistics. Thus, the population census is used. For the purposes of the census, an unemployed person is anyone aged 15 or over:
who declared themselves to be unemployed, unless they have also explicitly declared that they were not looking for work
who has not declared themselves in unemployment, but who nevertheless declared that they were seeking employment
This definition is wider than the ILO definition.
Income disparities and poverty (EC3)
Equivalent disposable income is the total disposable income of a household divided by its equivalent size: the first adult represents one consumption unit, other persons aged 14 or older each represent 0.5 and the children under 14 years each represent 0.3 (OECD scale).
The number of persons living in households with very low work intensity is estimated from population census data. There are two limitations to this estimate:
Working time is not precise. In the population census, a person may be unemployed, working full-time or working part-time.
Working time is measured for only a limited period and does not cover the entire year.
Education (TE1 and TE2)
The classification system used for education is the ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education).
ISCED Levels
ISCED levels are based on ISCED 2011 classification:
ISCED 0 – Early childhood education
ISCED 1 – Primary education
ISCED 2 – Lower secondary education
ISCED 3 – Upper secondary education
ISCED 4 – Post-secondary non-tertiary education
ISCED 5 – Short cycle tertiary education, e.g. Higher National Diploma
ISCED 6 – Bachelor's or equivalent level: tertiary education
ISCED 7 – Master's or equivalent level: tertiary education
ISCED 8 – Doctoral or equivalent level, e.g. PhD: tertiary education
Waste management (EN4)
The OECD/Eurostat definition of municipal waste includes the following objects:
old furniture and household appliances discarded by their owners
waste from gardens, parks and public spaces
waste originating from households, schools, businesses and hospitals
waste from street cleaning services.
This definition excludes:
waste from sewage network and treatment
municipal construction and demolition waste.
Culture and Recreation (CR1)
From 2021 onwards, the number of theatres also includes street arts and circus structures, as well as music and dance theatres.
Tourism (CR2)
A tourist accommodation establishment is any local unit providing accommodation as a paid service.
A tourist is a person who takes a trip to a main destination outside his usual environment for less than a year, for any main purpose other than to be employed. He must spend at least one night in a collective or private establishment in the place visited.
In the Urban Audit, data is collected for cities and FUAs.
Statistical units are mostly persons. Few variables are collected on households, enterprises, dwellings, cities, etc. For the complete description of variables see the Methodological Manual on City Statistics.
For most variables the target population are the residents living within an Urban Audit city or FUA.
FRANCE (FR).
For the most recent data collection (urban audit 2023), data refer from 2020 to 2023. In particular, the population census used is the 2020 one.
According to international standards, a census is considered to be of very good quality when it has an accuracy of around 1% for the entire population of a country. In France, the census method is such that it does ensure this level of quality. Overall accuracy of variables derived from the census is therefore considered to be high. For other variables, the user can refer to the more detailed document in the annexes.
The unit of measurement varies from variable to variable.
Detailed information on the estimation New methodology used can be found in the annexes.
Demography, nationality and household structure (DE1, DE2, DE3 and DE4)
Data from the population census by INSEE is used.
Housing (SA1)
Data from the population census by INSEE is used.
Concerning real estate prices, taxation data on real estate sales processed by the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Urban Planning (Cerema) is used.
Health (SA2)
Data from the French public registry and the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is used.
Crime (SA3)
Data was obtained from the Ministry of Internal Security.
Labour market and economic activity (EC1 and EC2)
Data from the population census by INSEE and the Corporate Directory Identification System (SIRENE) is used.
Income Disparities and Poverty (EC3)
Data from the population census by INSEE and Localised Tax Revenue (RFL) is used.
Education and Training (TE1 and TE2)
Data from the population census by INSEE and the Ministry of Education is used.
Waste management (EN4)
Data from the agency for Environment and Energy Control (ADEME) is used.
Travel and Transports (TT)
Data from the population census by INSEE, the Agency for Data and Statistical Studies(SDES) is used.
Culture and recreation (CR1)
Data from the National Center of Cinematography and the moving image (CNC), the Ministry of Culture (DEPS) and the Permanent Facilities Database (BPE) by INSEE is used.
Tourism (CR2)
Data from the hotel occupancy survey by INSEE.
The database is updated depending on the data availability of new and revised data.
The INSEE is fully committed to respect the timetables presented in the Grant Agreement.
For census data, there is a 3-years time gap between the vintage and the dissemination. For instance, the data published in 2025 is from 2022.
The definitions of City and Functional Urban Area, used for statistical level reporting, were followed strictly according to the provided manual. However, due to some deviating definitions and different data sources used, the comparability of data is limited to some extent.
Where there is a break in the time series due to methodology or boundary changes a flag of 'B' will be added to the data file.
