Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Ancona: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Ancona, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Ancona

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Strada Frazione Varano 1, Ancona.

Ancona, the regional capital of the Marche, has been one of Italy's gateways to the far side of the Adriatic for centuries, and ferries still leave its port for Croatia and Greece. The city was founded as a Greek colony and takes its name from the Greek word for elbow, a nod to the bent promontory it stands on. The cathedral of San Ciriaco sits on the heights, Trajan's Arch stands down by the harbour, and to the south the land rises towards Monte Conero.

At the end of 2023 Ancona had 99,377 residents, 1.1% fewer than in 2011 and 21.5% of the provincial total. The estimated average age, 47.2, matches the province exactly, and 26.5% of residents are over 65, in line with the regional average. Households are small, with 2.06 people on average, and foreign residents account for 14.7%.

On earthquakes there are no exceptions in this province: all 47 municipalities are in seismic zone 2, the second highest of the four national classes. In Ancona's built-up area the expected ground acceleration is about 0.177 g, the level with a 10% chance of being exceeded in 50 years. A home in zone 2 is not necessarily fragile, but the year the building was designed and any strengthening work become questions to ask before making an offer.

For everyday shopping, Overture Maps data show 0.54 supermarkets per 1,000 residents, fewer than the provincial average of 0.65, while schools and healthcare facilities are denser than elsewhere in the province. The Ministry of Health lists 29 pharmacies.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the cadastral maps, so the report can trace an address to the building's plot. In a city built across hills, seafront and harbour, however, landslide and flood hazard and local prices have to be read street by street, and that is exactly how the report checks them.

Key points

  • Regional capital of the Marche, with ferries to Croatia and Greece.
  • 99,377 residents, down 1.1% since 2011.
  • All 47 municipalities in the province are in seismic zone 2.
  • Fewer supermarkets per resident than the provincial average.

Overview

Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 99,377 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 22% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Ancona is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. All 47 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.177 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Ancona, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 1.1%. The estimated average age is 47 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 14.7% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Ancona declared an average taxable income of 26,687 euros, above the provincial average (24,794 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Ancona is in climate zone D, with 1,688 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 16 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Ancona has 78 schools and 29 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 54 grocery shops and supermarkets, 97 healthcare facilities, 115 sports facilities and 32 parks and green areas.

There are 1.0 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 17.7% of the land in Ancona, compared with 9.1% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 13 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Ancona, and 10 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Ancona: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Ancona are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 739 inhabited census areas in Ancona. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 70 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 2.0%
  • fair 27.3%
  • good 60.4%
  • very good 10.4%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 042002. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.