La Chaux-de-Fonds: observed built density
Municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel · FSO no. 6421 · Parcel data as of July 2025
- Parcels
- 7’544
12 % of the canton
- Municipal zones
- 22
- Median utilization
- 64 %
Canton: 12 %
Switzerland: 10 %
- Median GFZ
- 0.28
Canton: 0.09
Switzerland: 0.09
- Median height
- -
Canton: -
Switzerland: 9.5 m
- Median floors
- 3.3
Canton: 2.6
Switzerland: 2.3
About La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a municipality in the canton of Neuchâtel. The parcel data lists 7’544 parcels in 22 municipal zone types. The zone types with the most parcels are Zone d'habitation à faible densité (1’668), Zone agricole / Aire forestière / Espace de transport (1’454) and Zone d'habitation à haute densité (1’074).
The median parcel is built to a volume utilization of 64 %; half of the parcels lie between 7 % and 143 %. The canton median is 12 %, so La Chaux-de-Fonds sits above it.
Parcels built in the last 20 years reach a mean volume utilization of 139 % (759 parcels), higher than the 131 % across all building years.
Parcels by municipal zone
| Zone | Parcels | Median utilization |
|---|---|---|
| Zone d'habitation à faible densité | 1’668 | 80 % |
| Zone agricole / Aire forestière / Espace de transport | 1’454 | 0 % |
| Zone d'habitation à haute densité | 1’074 | 89 % |
| Zone d'habitation à moyenne densité | 716 | 75 % |
| Zone de ville en damier | 615 | 132 % |
| Zone de transport | 412 | 0 % |
| Zone d'ancienne localité | 367 | 293 % |
| Zone de centre ville | 295 | 86 % |
| Zone mixte | 274 | 100 % |
| Zone industrielle | 228 | 49 % |
| Zone d'utilité publique | 152 | 1 % |
| Zone de verdure | 107 | 0 % |
| Other zones (10) | 182 | - |
Volume utilization (ratioV)
Of the 7’487 parcels with a value, half lie between 7 % and 143 %. The median is 64 % and the mean 117 %.
Share of parcels by range
- below 50 %45 %
- 50 % to below 100 %17 %
- 100 % to below 150 %14 %
- 150 % and above23 %
Floor-area ratio (GFZ)
Of the 7’487 parcels with a value, half lie between 0.06 and 1.00. The median is 0.28 and the mean 0.67.
Share of parcels by range
- below 0.5062 %
- 0.50 to below 1.0013 %
- 1.00 to below 1.509 %
- 1.50 and above16 %
Building height
The parcel data has too few values for this measure here.
Number of floors
Of the 3’293 parcels with a value, half lie between 2.3 and 4.4. The median is 3.3 and the mean 3.5.
Share of parcels by range
- below 24 %
- 2 to below 326 %
- 3 to below 547 %
- 5 and above24 %
Building age cohorts
Mean volume utilization of the parcels built inside each window, from all years on record down to the last five. The windows overlap: the last 20 years include the last 5.
| Built in | Parcels | Mean utilization |
|---|---|---|
| All years | 7’544 | 131 % |
| Last 60 years | 2’080 | 180 % |
| Last 40 years | 1’404 | 188 % |
| Last 20 years | 759 | 139 % |
| Last 15 years | 633 | 140 % |
| Last 10 years | 235 | 153 % |
| Last 5 years | 77 | 145 % |
Open the map at La Chaux-de-Fonds
How to read this page
room shows observed built density: what has been built on the parcels, not what the zoning permits. Volume utilization (ratioV) compares the built volume of a parcel with the reference volume of its municipal zone type. The floor-area ratio (GFZ) is floor area divided by parcel area; building height and number of floors are taken from the buildings on a parcel. Figures pool all municipal zones of the area. Medians and quartiles are read from bins 10 points (ratioV), 0.1 (GFZ), 2 m (height) and 1 floor wide, so they are exact to within one bin; means are exact. A parcel counts in a distribution only when the parcel data has a value for it. The floors distribution leaves out parcels without a building (0 floors).