Skip to content
Vicinalia
Italiano Sign up

Macerata: what to know before buying a home

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

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Macerata

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 Roma 1, Macerata.

Macerata, a hilltop between two valleys

Macerata occupies a ridge between the Potenza and Chienti valleys, inland in the Marche. It is a university town with a university of medieval origin, and each summer the Sferisterio, a large neoclassical arena, hosts an opera season. The Jesuit Matteo Ricci, one of the first Europeans to spend many years in China, was born here.

With 40,538 residents at the end of 2023, Macerata is only the second most populous municipality in its own province, accounting for 13.4% of the total. The population has fallen by 3.5% since 2011. The estimated average age is 47.4, close to the provincial figure, and 27.4% of residents are over 65, a point above the regional average.

One detail matters for buyers: the province is not uniform when it comes to earthquakes. The city and 48 other municipalities are in seismic zone 2, while 6 municipalities are in zone 1, the highest class. For Macerata itself the estimated ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.177 g, a medium-high value. If the flat you are interested in is in a building that predates Italy's latest anti-seismic standards, ask the seller or the building manager what checks and strengthening work have been done.

The service figures reflect a student city. Overture Maps data list 51 schools and education sites, 1.26 per 1,000 residents compared with 0.99 across the province, although only 4 parks and green spaces are recorded. The Ministry of Health lists 14 pharmacies.

The land registry works as it does in most of Italy: the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) publishes the maps, and the report derives the sheet and parcel numbers (foglio and particella) from the address. Landslide and flood hazard cannot be judged for the municipality as a whole: on terrain made of ridges and valley floors, they are checked at the individual address, and so is the price range of the area.

Key points

  • Second largest municipality in its province (13.4% of residents).
  • Population down 3.5% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2; 6 municipalities in the province are in zone 1.
  • Many education sites: 1.26 per 1,000 residents.

Overview

Macerata is the capital of the province of Macerata, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 40,538 residents, the second most populous in the province.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Macerata is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (49 of 55) 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 Macerata, 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 3.5%. 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 12.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.1 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Macerata declared an average taxable income of 25,841 euros, above the provincial average (23,312 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Macerata is in climate zone D, with 2,005 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 315 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Macerata has 51 schools and 14 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 29 grocery shops and supermarkets, 43 healthcare facilities, 51 sports facilities and 4 parks and green areas.

There are 1.1 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 12.5% of the land in Macerata, compared with 5.7% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 6.9 hectares.

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 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Macerata, and 3 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 Macerata: 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 Macerata 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 381 inhabited census areas in Macerata. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 1.4%
  • fair 38.1%
  • good 60.5%

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 043023. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.