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Licata: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Licata

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: Via Gela 1, Licata.

Licata, a port town at the mouth of the Salso

Licata faces the Strait of Sicily at the mouth of the river Salso, also marked on maps as the Imera Meridionale. The old town, with its churches, palazzi and low houses, spreads between the harbour and the hill of the Sant'Angelo castle. Around it lies a farming plain dotted with greenhouses.

The town has lost many people in recent years. Istat, the national statistics office, counted 34,290 residents in 2023, 10.1% fewer than in 2011, a drop of 3,835. The average age is 45.0, slightly below the province (45.6), and over-65s account for 23.1%. Foreign residents make up 5.5%, many of them working in agriculture.

For buyers, a shrinking population means plenty of empty or for-sale homes, especially in the old town, where buildings often need work. Along the coast to the east and west there are villas and summer homes; here it is worth checking planning compliance and any amnesty (condono) paperwork carefully before buying. The climate is mild, climate zone B, with short winters and little need for heating.

Licata is in seismic zone 3 on the Civil Protection scale, with an expected ground acceleration of about 0.060 g, a low value. Further inland the province also has 3 municipalities in zone 1 and 27 in zone 2. For an old building near the sea, what matters most is upkeep, damp in the walls, balcony steel corroded by salt air and the condition of the floors.

The Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) land registry maps are available, so an address can be traced to its plot. In the low-lying part of town, near the embankments and the mouth of the Salso, flood hazard is the first thing to look at, and the report checks it for the individual house.

Key points

  • Seaside town at the mouth of the Salso, with a port and a greenhouse plain.
  • 34,290 residents in 2023, down 10.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 3, expected acceleration about 0.060 g.
  • Near the river, flood hazard should be checked house by house.

Overview

Licata is a municipality in the province of Agrigento, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 34,290 residents, among the most populous in the province (4 of 43).

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Licata is in seismic zone 3, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible but rare. Only 12 of 43 municipalities in the province are in zone 3.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.060 g, a moderate value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

Even in zone 3, seismic standards apply to new buildings: for an older building, ask about the design year and any structural work.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 10.1%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 5.5% of the population. On average, a household has 2.3 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Licata declared an average taxable income of 16,661 euros, below the provincial average (18,027 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Licata is in climate zone B, with 604 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 8 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Licata has 32 schools and 12 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 17 grocery shops and supermarkets, 15 healthcare facilities, 13 sports facilities and 2 parks and green areas.

There are 0.4 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, fewer than the province average (0.6).

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 8.1% of the land in Licata, compared with 5.8% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.6 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

Official databases list no open contaminated sites in Licata; 2 have been cleaned up or closed.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Licata: 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 Licata 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 172 inhabited census areas in Licata. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 75 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.4%
  • fair 8.3%
  • good 58.9%
  • very good 32.3%

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 084021. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.